Los Alamos National Laboratory have researchers looking to turn ordinary windows into ones that can collect solar power. This is clean energy and as sunlight is free, so combined with the fact that solar cells costs have dropped, and thy are also more efficient, the only problem is around where to put them.
Los Alamos have joined the Italian University of Milano- Biocca using quantum dots that make the window a generator and this means power is generated directly from them. The grid would not use as much power and would not rely heavily on fossil fuels and would cut out greenhouse gas emissions.
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The dots are about one billionth of a meter and at the most 50 atoms wide. They manipulated in a laboratory and then convert light from one wavelength then retransmit it to another one. Big dots find the red end of the spectrum; smaller ones are blue/green. Once adjusted, the dot can be used to direct light towards what the PV cell needs.
If this technology had been used on the One World Trade Center building in New York City, the windows could power more than 350 apartments.
The problems that arose have been resolved. Dots are now made from sulfur, selenium, indium and copper ensuring there were no toxic materials involved.
People in the room when this happens will just see a neutral color and tint, and this is similar to low-E* windows that keep down the cost of cooling. The method used is classed as the disruptive technology, and the price of energy will drop. It will lead to a low carbon future and is possible to use any house or even skyscrapers to provide their own power.
*Low-E Glass. The low-emissive (Low-E) glass is window glass that has been treated with an invisible metal or metallic oxide coating, creating a surface that reflects heat, while allowing light to pass through.
Story Via; Los Alamos National University
