Heliatek GmbH, an organic photovoltaics company, just announced that its transparent solar films can be integrated between the glass sheets of double glazed windows to generate electricity for a building.
Although the technology will likely first be used in commercial buildings, there’s no counting it out for residential application down the road.
The solar film’s transparency and color can be tweaked to suit a customer’s needs, while currently the light transmission level of the material is said to have a potential of 50% when the product will start being supplied to the building industry in 2014.
This kind of technology will make it possible to include solar power in a home without the need for an external structure like a panel array on the rooftop or lawn. The low light capabilities of the solar films are such that the orientation and angle of the film is not important and it can keep up its level of efficiency even in cloudy or north-facing situations.
Pretty cool technology. Let’s see if it makes its way into the home in the years to come!
Credit: Heliatek Press Release
