A transparent solar panel is essentially a counterintuitive idea because solar cells must absorb sunlight (photons) and convert them into power (electrons). When a solar glass is transparent, the sunlight will pass through the medium and defeat the purpose of utilizing sunlight.
Founded in Greece in 2009, Brite Solar develops transparent solar panels which they call “solar glass”. Their products are 49% to 70% transparent, but so far only 5% efficient. Brite Solar’s solar glass is designed to be used in and power agricultural greenhouses. How are transparent solar panels made?
You should only get transparent solar panels to use as a replacement for glass in large scale commercial or public buildings. In fact, most transparent solar panels are only available for these types of projects. At their current levels of efficiency, they are not worth it in most domestic settings.
Solar panels in China are manufactured using Chinese electricity, which is associated with high emissions of CO2, according to Robbie Andrew, a senior researcher at the Center for International Climate Research in Oslo, Norway, who spoke to FOX Business.
Transparent solar panels can be used as canopies, facades, skylights, curtain walls, greenhouses and more. They are usually used in the place of, or alongside regular glass structures. Here are some of the places you’ll find PolySolar’s see-through panels doing their thing. The roof of a cycle shelter in Cambridge North train station.
MSU researchers are confident that transparent solar panel technology has the potential to meet around 40 percent of US annual energy demand, potentially even more when combined with rooftop solar, as they act to complement each other.