In South Korea, researchers at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) have successfully developed transparent solar powered screen that can convert sunlight into electricity and can be applied to smart phone, vehicles, and even building glass surfaces.
The innovative “All-Back Contact” design of the transparent solar cells, developed under the direction of Professor Kwanyong Seo of the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, guarantees that all of the solar cell’s components are positioned at the back, leaving the front surface entirely clear.
The design does not call for any visible metal wires, cords, or power outlets because of the development of seamless modularization technology, which fills in the spaces between the solar cells.
Professor Seo stressed the significance of this development for the sustainable future energy sector and the team’s endless efforts to put forward transparent solar cells to market.
The study team examined the 16 cm2 solar cell module and attained high efficiency with transmittance ranging from 20% to 14.7%, which was successfully tested. The translucent solar powered screen was put to the test by the team by using only sunlight to charge a smart phone. This showed the innovation’s potential as a sustainable energy source for mobile devices.
Researchers Jeonghwan Park and Kangmin Lee said, “This study fundamentally solved the aesthetic problem of the existing solar cell modularization method through the design of the new device structure.”
The solar cells, in the opinion of the experts, have many uses in smaller gadgets, structures, and automobiles. The group is hopeful about the future and plans to carry out more research to generate transparent solar cells that are both efficient as well as kind to the environment.
Conclusions of the researchers have been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
