{"id":24711,"date":"2022-11-16T22:39:32","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T23:39:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/?p=24711"},"modified":"2022-11-16T23:48:52","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T23:48:52","slug":"solar-powered-skyscrapers-a-new-window-of-opportunity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/2022\/11\/16\/solar-powered-skyscrapers-a-new-window-of-opportunity\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar-Powered Skyscrapers \u2013 A New Window Of Opportunity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hi-tech glass coating lets light in and generates power<\/h3>\n

Solar windows are the future. Semi-transparent glass that generates energy from the sun could be commercially available within the next five years.<\/p>\n

Technology is being developed today that could turn every pane of glass in a skyscraper into a floor-to-ceiling photovoltaic panel, providing an estimated sixth of the building\u2019s electricity needs.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s all thanks to advances in super-thin nano-coatings that allow some light to pass through, while turning the rest into energy.<\/p>\n

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The new coating allows some light through and uses the rest to generate electricity. Courtesy Prof Lioz Etgar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The so-called third generation solar cells use a mineral called perovskite, which is cheaper, more efficient and more adaptable than the silicon currently used to coat almost every solar panel.<\/p>\n

Prof Lioz Etgar<\/a>, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has been a pioneer in the use of perovskite since its light-absorbing properties were first identified just over a decade ago.<\/p>\n

He believes his research team are at the forefront of developing its potential and say they could be commercially available within \u201cfour to five years\u201d.<\/p>\n

The sample solar windows they are working on currently are allow just over a quarter of the light to pass through, and are about two-thirds as efficient as ordinary panels.<\/p>\n

He and his team are now competing with scientists across the world in the race to incorporate perovskite into full-sized windows.<\/p>\n

Unlike traditional photovoltaic panels, solar windows still work even if they face away from the sun, so the plan would be to install them on all facades of a building.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in my postdoc at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, in Lausanne, in 2012,\u201d he tells NoCamels.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring my last two months there, I was exposed to this new material. I tried it and it was amazing, really amazing.<\/p>\n

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Crystals of perovskite, the mineral being developed to coat solar windows. Deposit Photos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThere were just groups of scientists around the world who had tried this material and we were one of them. Then I opened my own lab at the university and then I decided to concentrate fully on this material because I understood there was so much to discover about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

At present the team at Hebrew University is producing small prototypes, up to 20cm (8 inch) squares. The challenge is to scale things up at a commercial cost and to achieve maximum efficiency and transparency.<\/p>\n

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