Researchers at Incheon National Univ. in South Korea have developed fully transparent, next-generation solar panels that could be integrated into windows and buildings. Standard, commercial solar panels are somewhat opaque, which prevents their integration into everyday materials.
Solar production is typically centered on small-scale, remote solar farms that produce the bulk of global solar power. Incheon’s transparent solar panels could transform entire cities built with solar energy-producing windows into solar farms. In this era of rapid climate change, finding practical, renewable energy sources is more important than ever.
“We rely heavily on fossil fuels to meet our current energy demand,” says Joondong Kim, an electrical engineer at Incheon. “This has resulted in the depletion of Earth’s essential resources. With a power density of 1,000 W/m2, solar energy sources have emerged as a reliable, abundant, efficient, and sustainable energy source. We have been using solar energy more frequently, and the advanced applications of photovoltaic devices are the most promising choices for moving solar power forward.”
Currently, silicon solar cells...
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