Among the renewable energy sources, solar energy is a sustainable choice and one that can be used in various applications. Many businesses are now tapping into this alternative source of energy, hoping to benefit from its numerous advantages.
Solar power is rapidly becoming cheaper and more efficient, and not just for utility companies. Many homeowners and businesses are putting solar panels on their rooftops because it's cheaper in the long run than buying electricity from the grid. But if you're a large corporation with a tall office skyscraper, there may not be enough roof space to make a difference.
For a tall skyscraper, the best place to build solar panels is on the walls, but wall-mounted solar panels would be tricky to install and very expensive. Which is why one company is building solar panels into a part of the wall that's easier to replace: the windows.
At first, installing solar panels on windows might seem ludicrous. After all, the whole point of windows is to let sunlight through them, and there's no way to also absorb that light for generating electricity. But one company, an EU startup called Physee, found a creative solution.
Their design, called the PowerWindow, places small solar panels on the edges of the window, producing a small amount of power while remaining transparent. These solar panels can produce enough electricity to charge a smartphone multiple times per day.
Of course, this isn't enough to power an entire building, but it's an improvement over windows that do nothing. In addition, the PowerWindow comes with sensors that can detect the outside conditions and automatically adjust the building's systems like lighting or air conditioning. This could potentially save a lot of power, making the window even more effective.
Currently, the PowerWindow has just been installed at the Dutch bank Rabobank, whose building now has over 300 square feet of PowerWindows installed. Multiple other buildings in the Netherlands are on track to receive PowerWindows.
After a successful pilot and first commercial project, they recently announced that they were going to install 1850 square meters of PowerWindows in the new build apartment building BOLD in Amsterdam. The BOLD apartment inhabitants will be among the first in the world to enjoy the luxury of completely transparent electricity generating windows in their homes. This is a positive step towards a revolution in energy production over the next few years, and soon they may be coming to an office near you.