July 11 2008 - Windows could be turned into solar panels using a new technology which could slash the cost of making electricity from sunlight.The technique involves painting the glass with a transparent, organic dye to absorb and transport light to photovoltaic (PV) cells in the window frame, which convert it to electricity. Engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston claim the system could generate ten times more power than a PV cell alone. It could also substantially reduce the cost of generating solar power, because the expensive cells need only be mounted around the edge of the panels.
Traditional panels use mobile mirrors to track the sun and focus the rays onto a solar cell, but the moving parts are expensive. The MIT team found that by using specific combinations of dye, which each absorb a different wavelength of light, they could avoid light being lost as it travelled to the solar cells at the edge. Electrical engineer Marc Baldo, who lead the team, said the 'solar concentrator’ system is simple to manufacture and could be implemented within three years.
The materials also can be added to existing solar panels. "We think this is a practical technology for reducing the cost of solar power," he said. More >>>
