Rerun: Using Windows to Capture Solar Power with Professor Stephen Forrest
Office buildings, high rises, and greenhouses are covered in windows. What if we used all that window space to capture solar energy and add to the grid's renewable energy supply? Listen to University of Michigan engineering professor Steven Forrest explain how a change in the semiconducors used in solar panels could allow us to transform windows into power sources -- without sacrificing light and transparency. For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/could-windows-be-a-source-of-solar-energy-with-professor-stephen-forrest/
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Show Notes
What are solar windows?
Solar windows, also known as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), are windows that generate electricity from sunlight. They are typically made with thin, transparent layers of photovoltaic material that can capture and convert solar energy into electricity while still allowing light to pass through, so as to avoid sacrificing visibility. Solar windows are an emerging alternative to traditional solar panels in buildings and homes that can be seamlessly integrated into the design of the building and do not take up additional space.
Conventional solar panels use silicon semiconductors, which absorb energy from both visible and invisible wavelengths of light. However, solar windows need to allow visible light to pass through, so they use organic semiconductors instead. Organic semiconductors contain a large amount of carbon in their molecules and have narrow spectral absorption bands, meaning they only absorb wavelengths of light that are invisible to the human eye. This allows visible light to pass through the window while still generating electricity from sunlight. Solar windows are an emerging technology; scientists are actively researching and developing new types of solar windows, such as transparent coatings, customizable smart windows, and switchable windows.
Solar windows have the potential to make a significant contribution to renewable energy generation and the transition to a low-carbon economy. By harnessing the power of sunlight, they can generate electricity for homes, buildings, and other structures, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. These windows may be particularly useful in buildings with large window areas or limited roof space for traditional solar panels, providing an alternative, or additional, way to generate electricity from renewable sources.
Who is Professor Stephen Forrest?
Stephen Forrest, an engineering professor at the University of Michigan, is the co-author of two recent studies related to solar windows. The first study examines the costs associated with building and installing solar windows, while the second study focuses on a process for manufacturing large and efficient solar windows. As an expert in the field, Professor Forrest has valuable insights into the potential and challenges of solar windows as a renewable energy source.
Sources:
- https://www.nrel.gov/tech-deployment/buildings-research/solar-windows.html
- https://news.engin.umich.edu/2022/07/toward-manufacturing-semitransparent-solar-cells-the-size-of-windows/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/organic-semiconductor
- https://www.nrel.gov/news/press/2017/nrel-develops-switchable-solar-window.html
- https://www.anl.gov/article/customizable-smart-window-technology-could-improve-energy-efficiency-of-buildings
- https://www.science.org/content/article/skyscrapers-could-soon-generate-their-own-power-thanks-see-through-solar-cells
- https://www.cell.com/joule/fulltext/S2542-4351(22)00289-6?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2542435122002896%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
- https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2020/se/d0se00910e/unauth
- https://www.science.org/content/article/ultrathin-organic-solar-cells-could-turn-buildings-power-generators
For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/could-windows-be-a-source-of-solar-energy-with-professor-stephen-forrest/