Imagine a future where the glass windows and walls of buildings such as homes and offices can directly harness solar energy in place of unsightly and space-consuming solar panels. This reality is just years away, with the technology developed by Japanese electronics giant Panasonic currently being used in a trial project in Fujisawa, south of Tokyo.
The idea is to enable buildings in crowded urban jungles to serve as discreet mega solar power generators, Panasonic group chief technology officer Tatsuo Ogawa said in an interview on Nov 17. “We aim to create an energy-generating glass that allows power generation in any area where glass building materials are used,” Mr Ogawa said. Panasonic prints perovskite – a transparent or tinted alternative material to silicon that is said to be better at absorbing light – directly onto glass using an inkjet coating method. This allows ultra-thin solar cells to be embedded in unconventional spaces, such as windows and walls, it said. The company is now working to resolve potential vulnerabilitie