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A New Breakthrough
Michigan University researchers set a new experiment for efficiency of color-neutral transparent solar cells. Using an organic, carbon-based design, they achieved:
8.1% efficiency
43.3% transparency
“Windows, which are on the face of every building, are an ideal location for organic solar cells because they offer something silicon can’t, which is a combination of very high efficiency and very high visible transparency,” Engineering professor Stephen Forrest explained.
The idea is essentially to use the coating that most building windows already have to help reduce brightness and heat inside the building to instead create energy.
Windows of the Future
It is reported that the United States has anywhere from five to seven billion square meters of glass surfaces. Transparent solar panels have the potential to achieve to 40% of the country’s energy demands. Blend them with rooftop solar panels and we have the potential to meet 100% of our current energy needs.
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