New Solar Technology Could Capture Energy on Windows

A “solar concentrator” developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology can capture sunlight streaming through a window and focus it on solar cells around the frame, according to a study in Science, making it possible to put cells on windows and eliminating the need for large, expensive rooftop arrays. The new devices could increase the electric power obtained from each cell more than 40-fold, according to the MIT research team leader. When added to existing solar arrays, the new technology could increase efficiency by 50 percent, bringing down the price of solar power overall. Members of the research team have founded a company to develop the technology, which they say could be implemented within three years.