UCLA Researchers Double Efficiency of See-Through Solar Power

UCLA Researchers Double Efficiency of See-Through Solar Power

While the majority of the solar devices on market today are conventional solar panels that are installed on rooftops or in-field to produce power, there’s a lot of research and effort going into other types of photovoltaic (PV) devices. One of the most exciting areas is invisible photovoltaics. These are devices that you can see through, yet they are still able to provide power for lighting, charging smartphones, laptops, or other purposes. For instance, imagine if your smartphone could charge up purely through leaving it in your window, or your window could power a nearby lamp after dark. That’s the promise of see-through solar.

While the conversion power of such devices isn't anywhere close to that of conventional PV devices, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) moved one step closer to commercializing its technology on July 29 by announcing that it has doubled the efficiency of its unique, see-through PV devices. The university said it accomplished the doubling in efficiency by creating a two-layered solar film. “The new device is composed of two thin polymer solar cells that collect sunlight and convert it to power,” the university said. Since the device uses two cells, it can absorb a wider spectrum of the sun’s light. The new device can convert about 7.3 percent of sunlight to electric power.