Transparent Solar Panels Capture Invisible Light

Aug-24-14 By capturing wavelengths invisible to the human eye, researchers have created transparent solar panels that could be placed on windows or device screens without blocking the view.

The technology is based around small, organic molecules, developed by a team from Michigan State University, that are able to absorb sunlight wavelengths invisible to the human eye. According to Richard Lunt, assistant professor of chemical engineering and materials science, “We can tune these materials to pick up just the ultraviolet and the near infrared wavelengths that then 'glow' at another wavelength in the infrared." The trapped light waves are then sent to the photovoltaic cells on edges of the concentrator, where they are converted into electricity.

Image: Yimu Zhao and Richard Lunt test the transparent concentrator in Lunt’s lab.
Photo by G.L. Kohuth

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[INHABITAT.COM]
[MSU.EDU]

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