Transparent Solar Cells Transform Windows into Energy Generators

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) announced their development of transparent, bifacial solar cells that can absorb light from both sides, maintaining 80% efficiency even after 1,000 hours of use. These innovative solar cells, reported by Interesting Engineering, are highly transparent to infrared light and can generate electricity from sunlight hitting both the front and back sides. This makes them ideal for integration into greenhouses and transparent windows, turning ordinary glass into power generators.

The challenge was to find a transparent material for electrodes that is durable, stable, efficient, and affordable. The IIT researchers solved this by developing a transparent electrode using two layers of nickel oxide (NiO) and one layer of silver (Ag). They employed low-energy physical vapor deposition to create the electrode, resulting in a thin and uniform layer less than 40 nanometers thick. This thin structure makes it suitable for use in building materials and other types of solar cells.

These new solar cells demonstrated a bifaciality factor of 72%, meaning they effectively capture light from both sides. Additionally, they retained 80% of their efficiency after 1,000 hours of testing without any protective coating.

The breakthrough highlights the immense potential of bifacial perovskite solar cells in advancing solar energy technologies.