Since the birth of photovoltaic power generation technology, scientists and entrepreneurs in the photovoltaic industry have devoted themselves to the research of transparent photovoltaic panels like ordinary glass to promote the integration of buildings and photovoltaics. From ultra-thin silicon to perovskite, although the industry has tried to use a variety of materials to develop transparent photovoltaic glass, there has been no successful case before. However, Ubiquitous Energy recently claimed that transparent photovoltaic glass developed with organic semiconductor technology could achieve this goal.
Organic semiconductors are natural electrical insulators that generate energy, or "charge," when doped with appropriate electrodes or when exposed to sunlight. Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) is known as a kind of organic semiconductor, which has been used in new display devices. Organic semiconductors can be printed like ink after dissolution, and then a thin layer is laid on the glass substrate, which makes photovoltaic glass look much more transparent than crystalline silicon photovoltaic panels, making it a suitable product for making "photovoltaic windows".
However, photovoltaic windows using this technology do not generate much electricity. Ubiquitous Energy estimates that a 15-square-foot (3-by-5) window with this coating produces only 0.2 degrees of electricity per day. Still, considering that high-rise buildings with thousands of windows may not have enough space to install rooftop photovoltaic panels, it may be worth considering the full use of windows.
Some demonstration projects have begun to use photovoltaic windows made of organic semiconductors. Ubiquitous Energy expects such photovoltaic windows to enter the construction market in the next few years.
NEXT Energy's Photovoltaic Glass Is In Pilot
In early 2023, outdoor sports brand Patagonia announced the installation of photovoltaic windows at its corporate headquarters in Ventura, California, furthering the company's commitment to sustainability. The company installed photovoltaic windows with NEXT Energy Technologies' transparent photovoltaic coating in 22 south-facing windows in the headquarters building, generating electricity to charge employees' mobile phones and other devices. The photovoltaic window
for Patagonia is the first major demonstration project for Next Energy, which was spun out of the Organic Semiconductor Research Facility at the University of California, Santa Barbara. "Installing photovoltaic windows on commercial buildings can provide electricity when and where it is needed and reduce the load on the grid," NEXT Energy CTO Corey Hoven said.
"We want to get into the market without disrupting the supply chain.". Typically, window manufacturers source their glass from flat glass manufacturers. Our partners are window manufacturers, because they make photovoltaic windows. So that users can buy photovoltaic windows from trusted window manufacturers without having to reshape the supply chain. He added.
According to reports, NEXT Energy's technology is to coat a transparent photovoltaic coating on one piece of glass, and then seal the coating with another piece of glass. A coating composed of organic semiconductors that will harvest energy from infrared and ultraviolet light. People often don't realize that this window is a photovoltaic window because the coating is "almost" invisible. "There will be a lot of opportunities in this market,
" Hoven said. At present, we are installing photovoltaic windows in the traditional way, but there are more opportunities in the future, such as the installation of exterior walls in the whole building. Next Energy will continue to seek partners and install more pilot projects in 2023.
"The Inflation Reduction Act passed by the US government has a huge impact on the development of the photovoltaic industry.". The external walls of buildings can now also be used as a photovoltaic system, which is a huge step forward. We have now gone beyond the stage of installing photovoltaic systems on the ground or roof, and will manufacture more beautiful photovoltaic systems in the future. He added.
Ubiquitous Energy to mass-produce PV glass by 2025 & nbsp; Ubiquitous Energy, mentioned at the
beginning, was separated from MIT 11 years ago and operated independently. Its researchers are exploring how to make photovoltaic power generation facilities lighter and more flexible. Through spectral engineering and organic photovoltaic technology, Ubiquitous Energy has developed a completely transparent, colorless coating and has installed pilot photovoltaic windows in homes in Boulder, Colorado.
Ubiquitous Energy's photovoltaic windows have been installed on buildings such as Michigan State University, a commercial building in Boulder, Colorado, and NSG Pilkington in Ohio. Hardev, vice president of Ubiquitous Energy Strategy, said that the company's development of this technology has been proven, and the next stage will be to license manufacturers around the world to accelerate global promotion.
Hardev pointed out that while many translucent photovoltaic products have appeared on the market in recent years, Ubiquitous Energy's products are completely transparent photovoltaic glass. When people look out of photovoltaic windows, they can't see any color or adulteration, just like using ordinary windows, they can't see any difference at all.
"The power conversion efficiency of our products is as high as 10%, which is comparable to the efficiency of traditional photovoltaic systems.". Our technology performs very similarly to thin film photovoltaic technology and performs very well under off-angle or diffuse light conditions. Hardev said, "The company is continuing to raise funds to start a dedicated production line, hoping to break ground by the end of this year and provide products for residential and commercial buildings in the second half of 2025."
To sum up, PV windows do not generate as much electricity as traditional PV systems, but as more and more commercial buildings install PV windows, they are still an alternative to rooftop or ground PV systems. Especially in the urban business district, such integration may become the best choice for enterprises to practice green development!
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