Solar Window
Solar Window Solar windows are windows that function as solar panels to harvest the sun’s energy and convert it to electricity. Building owners can purchase solar windows to replace existing windows or buy solar film to retrofit existing windows. In the past, materials scientists have embedded light-absorbing films in window glass. But such solar windows tend to have a reddish or brown tint that architects find unappealing. The new solar window technologies, however, absorb almost exclusively invisible ultraviolet (UV) or infrared light. That leaves the glass clear while blocking the UV and infrared radiation that normally leak through it, sometimes delivering unwanted heat. On a skyscraper, where rooftop solar panels can only provide a fraction of the massive amount of energy that big buildings use, the new windows could power a much larger chunk of an electric bill. Rooftop space available for conventional PV is so limited it is difficult to generate meaningful...