Slashdot Mirror
New Technology Turns Windows Into Solar Panels
An anonymous reader writes "A start-up in Northern California is working on creating 'solar windows' that could act as solar panels at the same time as blocking sunlight from entering office buildings to reduce their energy needs."
This would be useful for a window that has the sun shining directly into it during the morning or afternoon; you only need so much light coming in!
I've only been hearing about this for, what, about 30 years. I imagine cost is the crucial factor, as otherwise some of those other startups would be ubiquitous now.
Even in this case, the article says "CEO Fink wouldn't reveal his system's cost per watt ," so I bet cost is still a factor.
That's one purpose of a window. Thanks to modern building techniques, we have the option to create much larger openings in the facade, and thus you get your typical glass and steel skyscraper. Ever notice that they all have a reflective, metallic tint to them? This is to keep much of the light out, because in a large office building, your interior temperature suffers heavily from the amount of light let in. You also have an issue with glare, which tinting can help with as well. If your solar system reduces the amount of solar gain and the amount of light into the building while still allowing some light/vision/heat in, you can forgo the window tinting, and make the windows even more useful.
I'd be happy if we had a solar charger that worked well enough to charge my iPhone. :/ Tried a couple different brands and they were all awful.
One day...
and it's my opinion that the biggest barrier to solar panel adoption in the United States right now are homeowner associations. My worthless HOA forbids solar panels. (Sadly, it is legal for them to do so under state law.. for now, Texas is trying to strip HOAs of that power)