As all-glass façades are becoming increasingly ubiquitous in the metropolises of the world, imagine how much solar energy could be generated if each glass pane were to double up as a solar panel.
Maryland-based tech startup Solar Window Technologies is developing a spray-on coating that enables see-through windows to become a solar panel, Off Grid Quest reports. Though products are still being developed and none are for sale yet, the product currently is subject of 42 patent filings.
“SolarWindow can outperform today’s solar by as much as 50-fold when installed on a 50-story building, according to independently validated power production calculations,” the company says on its website.
The coating is created by applying ultra-thin layers of liquid coatings made primarily of hydrogen and carbon, producing ultra-small solar cells.