Hi, this is Kate from MinuteEarth.
Solar panels pretty much only come in one color: dark.
That's because they use dark sheets of silicon crystals to absorb the sun's rays, then turn
them into electrical energy.
And solar panels are becoming so cheap and so efficient that soon, whole cities could
run on sunlight...except that almost all the sun-catching area in cities is on the sides
of buildings, which are usually designed to let light in.
We could plaster solar panels all over the sides of buildings, but that would be SAD
for the people inside.
However, there might be another way: scientists recently invented a solar panel that looks
like a window.
In fact, it is a window, except that it's embedded with a thin layer of tiny silicon
particles called quantum dots that absorb some of the shorter wavelengths of incoming
light, while letting the rest pass through.
The dots then re-emit the energy in longer wavelengths, which bounce along the window
pane, rather than escaping – because of a physics thing called total internal reflection.
And because the quantum dots only absorb shorter wavelengths, those re-emitted waves travel
through the pane without being re-absorbed by other dots.
When they reach the edge, they hit tiny solar cells that convert them into electricity.
Because these solar windows capture some light, they're not 100% transparent, but actually,
neither are normal skyscraper windows – they're usually coated with reflective material to
keep some of the sun's energy out.
But solar windows aren't yet as efficient as typical solar panels, and engineers are
still working out some of the technical kinks, so optimistic estimates put transparent quantum-dot
solar windows at least several years out.
And whenever they do roll out, you might not even notice - because you'll be looking right
through them.
This video was sponsored by the University of Minnesota, where students, faculty and
staff across all fields of study are working to solve the Grand Challenges facing society.
In the department of mechanical engineering, professor Uwe Kortshagen and graduate student
Samantha Hill have made a quantum leap in this area by creating silicon nanoparticles
and embedding them in clear sheets that could power the solar windows of the future.
Thanks, University of Minnesota!
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