Solar stick to glass

What do solar windows look like?

Solar windows look like regular glass windows, but act like solar panels, generating electricity from the sun. Transparent solar panels were pioneered at Michigan State University and are now being installed commercially. The US alone is estimated to have between five and seven billion square metres of glass surface.

What are the advantages of solar glass?

A key advantage of solar glass – also known as photovoltaic glass – is that it takes up less space than traditional solar panels. In cities with lots of buildings and limited space, setting up traditional solar panel installations is difficult, Interesting Engineering explains.

How do transparent solar panels work?

Transparent solar panels look like clear glass and let light through like regular windows. But they’re made with a type of solar glass that absorbs ultraviolet and infrared light – types of light that aren’t visible to the naked eye – and turn these into renewable electricity.

When will Ubiquitous Energy start making transparent solar windows?

The California-based company expects to start manufacturing floor-to-ceiling, transparent solar windows for buildings at high volume in 2024. Ubiquitous Energy was co-founded by Richard Lunt, the chemical engineer who led the development of transparent solar cells at MSU.