See-Through Solar Windows Turn Invisible Light Into Electricity

The cutting-edge technology could let you put a solar panel anywhere you put a piece of glass — from household windows to your car or even your cellphone screen.

[willcookmakeup]

Once this really kicks off, gets down on cost, and becomes easily accessible, it truly could be the biggest game changer in the renewable energy movement. Obviously converting all the currently existing windows in the world will take decades if not more, but it truly would negate the need for gas power. There are literally billions and billions of windows on earth.

[elgracko]

If they could include an auto-tint, that'd be awesome!

[MrNagless]

Hopefully it'll come to market soon Been waiting for tech like this for 10 years alongside with badeless wind energy and so on

[rickycampbell]

I read about a company developing solar paint many years ago, Whatever happen to that technology?

[lidar]

Solar windows could be used to charge vehicle batteries. This could prevent stranded vehicles in various scenarios including gas and electric vehicles that are parked for long periods of time.

[sanjuansteve]

Can this film be applied to existing windows as well? Thx

[stephentroake]

Windows kill a lot of birds, because present-day windows look transparent to them. However, birds can see ultraviolet. If these new windows are opaque to UV rays, or have patterns in the UV spectrum which would make them visible to birds, I imagine bird strikes would be greatly reduced. Win-win windows!

[MichaelSkinner-ej]

I had seen something like this over 10 or 20 years ago, except the power generation was in the framing of the window. They had light guides that transmitted some of the light perpendicular into the sides.

[ICDeadPeeps]

So instead of low-efficiency see-through solar windows, how about high-efficiency house sidings that looks like regular sidings?

[madpuppet]

Not sure it needs to be invisible. Tinted glass where the tinting is because its catching visible light for energy might be useful...

[markfinley]

I have a south-facing garage door. That would be a fantastic place to put solar panels.

[dtam]

An Australian company in Perth, Australia Clearview Technologies is already selling transparent solar glass worldwide with glass sizes multiple times larger than that Ubiquitous offers. Clearview Technologies also has solar glass greenhouse available today (not in the future). Their glass windows are available to retrofit as well as for new buildings.

[mnlna]

The sauletech from Poland created inkjet-printing perovskite solar cell and based on this the Building Integrated photovoltaics already on the market in Europe.

[josephregallis]

Anything that might lower our cost for power is a good thing!

[bazoo]

It would be nice if you devoted more than just a nebulous "nanometer thick coating" to the actual technology employed.

[brassringbarbara]

Canada, British Columbia needs this.

[Orion]

Imagine the sticker shock to the parents of the neighborhood kids errant baseball going into your solar window

[richardh]

We are barely putting standard solar on our buildings at the moment so we seriously need to ramp up immidiately

[johnevans]

Here in the UK we would be able to benefit from this for nearly 3 or 4 days per year. 🌦️

[mnlna]

Nice tech. How soon can we get this in UK