The Future Success of Solar Energy Lies in a Clear View

[sam_ad id=”80″ codes=”true”]Good news is on the horizon for the solar energy business. New scientific research and prototyping techniques have led to the creation of a new kind of solar concentrator.

What makes this concentrator special?

Well, when placed over an existing window, it produces solar energy while at the same time allowing you to see through the window. This is a clear and transparent luminescent solar concentrator, and could be ideal when used on buildings, electronic tablets or any other gadget that needs a clear surface.

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Transparency is the New Feature

Richard Lunt from MSU’S College of Engineering, says that the key element here is the transparency. Although research into the production of solar cells placed in luminescent plastic is nothing really new, However, what makes this different is the transparency.

In the past, trial prototypes were poor and the energy produced was not very efficient. Even then, there was no way of producing these solar cells without the plastic being at least partially colored.

“No one wants to sit behind colored glass” that’s what Lunt, an assistant professor of chemical engineering and materials science said.. “It makes for a very colorful environment, but not what people want in their homes or offices.” That’s why he decided to look for an approach where the luminescent concentrator could be transparent.

Equipped with Small Organic Materials

[sam_ad id=”83″ codes=”true”]The idea is that a solar concentrator system be made with small, barely visible organic molecules that consume nonvisible wavelengths of sunlight. Lunt explains that these can then be tuned to pull out the ultraviolet light and the near infrared wavelengths, which can be used to energize a home or office.

The advantage is that this new type of concentrator has the ability to absorb and produce energy in the visible spectrum; they look almost totally transparent to the human eye. This technology offers flexibility despite being in an initial production stage and the future seems bright for this new technology; solar energy experts see a use for this product in both commercial and industrial sectors.

This new clear concentrator can offer many consumers viable options for builders, and can help consumers minimize their energy expenses. Let’s not forget, there is also a marketability in simpler and smaller devices; that of powering almost any type of mobile device with a flat surface.

The goal is to innovate to the point that you won’t even notice solar surfaces.

Final Thoughts

[sam_ad id=”80″ codes=”true”]The research is there, but this concentrator is still in its infancy, and in order to enhance its energy production, there is a lot more scientific work that needs finishing.

Currently, the concentrator is only capable of producing solar conversion efficiency up to 1%, but when it is fully optimized it should reach efficiencies of at least 5% in the transparency version. And when in tints, it has an efficiency of 7%.