Photovoltaic windows that also act as thermal insulators and halve the costs for heating and electricity

Photovoltaics and thermal insulation together: a research group from South China University of Technology has created a prototype of solar windows capable of producing electricity and insulating the internal environment from the sun's rays, up to double the energy efficiency of an average family

He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

Photovoltaics and thermal insulation together: a research group from South China University of Technology has created a prototype of solar windows capable of producing electricity and insulating the internal environment from the sun's rays, up to double the energy efficiency of an average family .

It is not the first study, nor the first prototype of a solar window. Indeed, some are even on the market. But it is the first time that, alongside an energetic effect, an insulating one has been achieved. This does not only mean freshness in summer and warmth in winter: it means avoiding dispersions, therefore energy efficiency, which, for example, can be translated into savings on summer air conditioning and winter heating.

To build the innovative device, the researchers needed to reconcile three needs: to receive the sunlight to be converted into electricity, "block" it to obtain thermal insulation and transmit the "bright part" as a normal window does.

The incredible result was obtained by combining materials and chemical compounds previously proposed for these different purposes, obtaining a device that lets the visible light components pass, blocking the infrared, important responsible for heating. And it is precisely on these that the scholars have managed to convey the transformation into electricity. Therefore infrared only, and in particular the near infrared radiation ("almost visible") is converted into electrical energy, leaving visible light for illumination.

Photo: Joule

Preliminary calculations (theoretical for now), suggest that the installation of electricity generating windows with thermal insulation properties could reduce the dependence of an average household on external electrical sources by more than 50%. This, however, if the density of solar cells on the windows is very high (ie if the window has very few square centimeters without active material).

Hard? According to the researchers, not much. "We are not even using the best organic photovoltaics available in this field: their efficiency is improving rapidly and we expect to be able to further improve the performance of these unified solar window films" explained Hin-Lap Yip. , co-author of the work.

We are still in the field of research and experimentation, but the authors expect all of this to pave the way for revolutionary new technologies. "Producing thermal insulating multifunctional semi-transparent polymeric solar cells is just the beginning for new organic photovoltaic applications - continues Yip - A tailor-made version for Serre autoalimentate it is just one of the many high-impact products that we want to develop for the future ".

The work was published in Joule.

For more information on solar windows, read also:

• Photovoltaic windows that change color to produce more clean energy
• Photovoltaic: the semi-transparent windows that produce energy

Roberta de carolis

Cover photo: Daily Pakistan