Jan 04, 2012
— read in fullSolar power dye
New dyes could turn glass into super-efficient solar panels.
A team of American scientists have invented a dye that, when painted onto glass, can harness the solar energy that shines through it. The dye may lead to a new type of super powerful solar panel, which could produce ten times more energy than the current versions.
The team believe that the dye could also be used to convert tall glass buildings into huge power plants, potentially producing enough electricity to power the offices within. Professor Marc Baldo, one of the researchers on the team, said “it makes sense to coat the side of buildings with these new panes. It is not far-fetched at all.”
A window painted with the dye would look like smoked glass, and would let through around 10% of the light into the room. The rest of the solar energy would be harnessed by the solar cells built into the window frame, and converted into electricity.
So is this the technology of the future? Baldo believes that it could be the technology of today. Because it is so cheap and easy to make, glass panels coated with the dye could be in production within three years.
