Here we find information about an upcoming technology that is really exciting. I've wished for years for efficient transparent photovoltaic cells to use as windows, and it looks like someone has come up with something even better.
It's a tiny solar panel about half an inch square that is over 50% efficient now (and perhaps 100% eventually) that is embedded in glass and serves as a window blind. The coolest thing: the cell rotates to face the sun at all times! The energy it sucks up is piped into the building grid to augment heating and cooling and all that other jazz. Researchers hope to have it available in as little as 3 years.
If we ever get efficient solar power and establish a network for storing it (either in hydrogen or flywheels), it'll be a big deal. The sooner the better too, because even though we won't run out of oil for 80 years or more, our demand is set to outpace production within a generation.
Posted by Nutrimentia at September 14, 2003 09:39 PM | TrackBack