Solar cells that generate electricity

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have developed a transparent solar cell that is capable of giving windows in homes and other buildings the ability to generate electricity whilst still allowing people to see outside. The new kind of polymer solar cell (PSC) produces energy by absorbing mainly infrared light, not visible light, making the cells nearly 70% transparent to the human eye. They made the device from a photoactive plastic that converts infrared light into an electrical current. These results open the potential for visibly transparent polymer solar cells as add-on components of portable electronics, smart windows and building-integrated photovoltaics and in other applications, according to study leader Yang Yang, a UCLA professor of materials science and engineering, who also is director of the Nano Renewable Energy Center at California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI). Intense worldwide interest in so-called polymer solar cells has been noted.
www.ucla.eduAir Vapormax Plus TN