Researchers at Michigan State University are developing a new type of solar panel – one that is transparent so it lets light shine through, according to
Science Daily. The “transparent luminescent solar concentrator module” can be placed on a building over a window or on any device with a flat, clear surface, like a cell phone or e-reader. Until now, luminescent solar materials were colored. The research team is instead using small organic modules to absorb nonvisible sunlight wavelengths that create an infrared light that is converted to electricity by photovoltaic solar cells. The new technology is at its early stages of development, but has the potential for commercial use at an affordable price. The researchers’ goal is to make “solar harvesting surfaces that you do not even know are there.”
