I joked about the idea of a Martha Stewart designer solar panel a few days ago and now I am eating my words… and lov’n it! While these nano dyed solar panels will not replace the efficency of the standard silicon panels they will offer a unique market for astheitcs and going green!
Here is an excerpt from the ScienceDaily article…
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Screen-printed Solar Cells In Many Colors And Designs, Even Used In Windows
ScienceDaily (Jan. 31, 2008) — Newly designed solar cells can be screen-printed in a wide array of colors and patterns to allow them to be attractively incorporated into building design. The solar cells also can be used on windows, providing shading from glare while generating electricity.
The key component of the new modules is an organic dye which in combination with nanoparticles converts sunlight into electricity. Due to the small size of the nanoparticles, the modules are semi-transparent. This aspect makes them well suited for façade integration. The new solar cells are being developed by members of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, who will be presenting their new technology in Tokyo at Nanotech 2008, the world’s largest trade fair for nanotechnology.
The solar module prototype is amber in color. It is possible, however, to produce the modules in other colors, or even to print images or text on the module so that it serves as a decorative element. These design options open up an entirely new range of possible applications. Instead of mounting the solar module on the roof of a building, the electricity producer could be integrated into windows. Used in this way, the new technology not only prohibits direct sunlight from entering the building interior but also generates electricity at the same time.
“We don’t see the dye solar cell as being a rival to the conventional silicon cell,” says Fraunhofer ISE physicist Andreas Hinsch. The module prototypes only achieve an efficiency of four percent, which is not sufficient for rooftop applications in comparison to the performance of crystalline silicon solar cells. On the other hand, dye solar cells have a clear advantage when it comes to façade integration.
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft press release
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Maybe they could even be made to match the existing color and design of the extisting roof and dispell the astheic concerns from HOAs or Histoic Commisions. Here is a simulation of that idea (not an actual product yet)
