hi, this is kate from minuteearth. solar panels pretty much only come in onecolor: dark. that’s because they use dark sheets of siliconcrystals to absorb the sun's rays, then turn them into electrical energy. and solar panels are becoming so cheap andso efficient that soon, whole cities could
Clear Solar Panels, run on sunlight...except that almost all thesun-catching area in cities is on the sides of buildings, which are usually designed tolet light in. we could plaster solar panels all over thesides of buildings, but that would be sad for the people inside.
however, there might be another way: scientistsrecently invented a solar panel that looks like a window. in fact, it is a window, except that it’sembedded with a thin layer of tiny silicon particles called quantum dots that absorbsome of the shorter wavelengths of incoming light, while letting the rest pass through. the dots then re-emit the energy in longerwavelengths, which bounce along the window pane, rather than escaping – because ofa physics thing called total internal reflection. and because the quantum dots only absorb shorterwavelengths, those re-emitted waves travel through the pane without being re-absorbedby other dots.
when they reach the edge, they hit tiny solarcells that convert them into electricity. because these solar windows capture some light,they’re not 100% transparent, but actually, neither are normal skyscraper windows – they’reusually coated with reflective material to keep some of the sun's energy out. but solar windows aren’t yet as efficientas typical solar panels, and engineers are still working out some of the technical kinks,so optimistic estimates put transparent quantum-dot solar windows at least several years out. and whenever they do roll out, you might noteven notice - because you'll be looking right through them.
this video was sponsored by the universityof minnesota, where students, faculty and staff across all fields of study are workingto solve the grand challenges facing society. in the department of mechanical engineering,professor uwe kortshagen and graduate student samantha hill have made a quantum leap inthis area by creating silicon nanoparticles and embedding them in clear sheets that couldpower the solar windows of the future. thanks, university of minnesota!
0 Response to "Clear Solar Panels"
Post a Comment