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Transparent electronics: solar windows in your house, cars
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Transparent electronics
Imagine having a hybrid or electric car that uses sunlight that hits the windows during the day to charge itself. The windows of your house would look just like any other windows, except they are really solar cells in disguise. Several companies are on the verge of making transparent electronics a reality.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials is developing transparent solar technology by doping substrates with conducting materials. The first coat is known as n-conductors, which conduct electricity. The second coating is a p-conductor type, which facilitates the electron flow. Other companies have made see-through solar technology, but it is still way too expensive for commercial use.
The trouble lies in the p-conductor coating. Right now costs are still too high and transparency is somewhat low, but Frauenhofer is trying to change that. Right now transparent solar cells are made with Indium, a precious substance that is too costly for a return on investment. Frauenhofer is experimenting with phosphorus and other materials as transparent p-conductors.
Another issue is the conductivity of the p-conductors. “If transparent p-conductors with adequate conductivity could be produced, it would be possible to realize completely transparent electronics,” says Dr. Wolfgang Körner, research scientist at the IWM
If the cost comes down enough, transparent solar cells could be used everywhere from cars to ships to homes to skyscrapers. The see-through technology could simply be glazed onto windows during the manufacturing process, or even put on the side of a wall.
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