While fully transparent solar panels show great promise, they are based on organic materials, which can lead to rapid degradation over time. This factor presents a challenge that researchers are actively working to address in order to enhance the durability and longevity of fully transparent solar panels.
While the efficiency of transparent solar panels is currently low, around 1%, with the potential to reach 5%, the flexibility of this technology means it could be used in various applications. Clear solar panels could offer practical energy solutions from buildings to vehicles while maintaining aesthetic appeal.
Transparent solar panels typically range in thickness from 3mm to 7mm, depending on their type. This makes them comparable to modern windows, which can be between 2mm to 6mm thick. A transparent solar panel's relative thinness allows it to be integrated seamlessly into windows and building facades without compromising structural integrity.
These panels are commonly used in applications where aesthetics and functionality are equally important, such as in building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) or solar windows. On the other hand, fully transparent solar panels are designed to be nearly invisible to the naked eye.
Well, clever scientists around the world have spotted a window of opportunity; transparent solar panels. That’s right – panes of glass that can convert the sun’s light into energy, without being nearly as obvious as traditional solar panels.
They also have a longer lifespan than any other type, on average, often outlasting their already lengthy performance warranties, which can stretch to 30 years. Monocrystalline is currently the most cutting-edge solar material, too – bifacial solar panels are usually made with monocrystalline, for instance.