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.
New Solar Technology Could Capture Energy on Windows
More From E360
-
INTERVIEW
Will U.S. Push on Seabed Mining End Global Consensus on Oceans?
-
Biodiversity
In Mexico’s ‘Avocado Belt,’ Villagers Stand Up to Protect Their Lands
-
Food & Agriculture
How Herbicide Drift from Farms Is Harming Trees in Midwest
-
Policy
U.S. Aid Cuts Are Hitting Global Conservation Projects Hard
-
INTERVIEW
How a Former Herder Protected Mongolia’s Vast Grasslands
-
Solutions
A.I. Is Quietly Powering a Revolution in Weather Prediction
-
RIVERS
On a Dammed River, Amazon Villagers Fight to Restore the Flow
-
Biodiversity
With the Great Mussel Die-Off, Scientists Scramble for Answers
-
ANALYSIS
Recycling Nuclear Waste: A Win-Win or a Dangerous Gamble?
-
CONFLICT
In War-Torn Sudan, a Gold Mining Boom Takes a Human Toll
-
Opinion
With NOAA Cuts, a Proud Legacy and Vital Science Are at Risk
-
Biodiversity
Imperiled in the Wild, Many Plants May Survive Only in Gardens