See-Through Photovoltaic Glass
Posted on May 11, 2008 - 10:09 PM
By: Adam Beazley
I recently came across a very unique photovoltaic product, in fact it is quite amazing. A China based company called Suntech came up with a semi-transparent solar powered glazing product which they called “Photovol Glass.” The name has since changed names to “Suntech See Thru,” but the revolutionary glazing/photovoltaic product has stayed the same. Suntech See Thru is based on amorphous(non-crystalline) silicon photovoltaic technology, making it ideal for both power generation and controlling light and heat.
These semi-transparent glazing modules have a very interesting and unique manufacturing process. Each semi-transparent solar powered glazing module starts out as an opaque thin film layer. The thin film is then placed under a laser which is used to selectively remove material to enable light transmission whilst still enabling the thin film PV module to generate electricity.
Now I have seen a lot of solar glazing systems, but they are all manufactured by sandwiching either mono crystalline or poly crystalline solar cells between two panes of glass creating a checkered effect (left image). These types of solar glazing products are great in their own right, however, they do present a bit of a design challenge because they are not appropriate everywhere. In offices, homes and other public buildings where uninterrupted exterior views are very important, the placement of the checkered type photovoltaic glazing is very limited.
Suntech See Thru on the other hand looks like tinted glass making it perfect for any location in any building or home. Not only can the see-through solar glass generate electricity, it can also reduce the about of radiant heat entering the space. In fact according to the specs, Suntech See Thru is more efficient at reducing heat gain and UV rays than high end heat reflective glass(low-E). This is a huge benefit because the reduction of radiant heat gain ultimately reduces air conditioning loads and consequently reduces energy cost.
The company states that its solar powered glass is priced comparable to other high performance glazing products which do not offer the same income producing potential. The cost of this glazing is off-set by the avoided building material costs, (you need a building skin anyway), solar electricity generation and savings through a reduction in cooling load whilst still providing even illumination throughout the building. While there are many types of solar glazing on the market, I cannot help but to wonder why anyone would use anything else.
| Permalink |
|
Related Entries:
- Solar Industries First 1GW Production Tool
- Solar Power Paint Is 2.5 Years Away
- The Sun Can Power The Entire US
Show/Hide Comments (0)
There are no comments for this entry yet.
