THE AESTHETICS OF SOLAR

Swiss firm says it can make near invisible solar modules

October 28, 2014 (PhysOrg)

“…[Newly developed white solar modules with no visible cells and connections] can blend with a building's ‘skin’ to become virtually invisible…[according to] Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (SCEM)…The problem with the common blue-black solar modules, built to maximise sunlight absorption, is their ‘visually unaesthetic’ appearance, which tends to hamper their acceptance…White, the most sought-after colour for its elegance and versatility, is especially tricky because it generally reflects light rather than absorbing it…[SCEM combined solar cell technology for converting infrared solar light into electricity] with a special filter that ‘scatters the whole visible spectrum while transmitting infrared light’…[With it, crystalline silicon-based solar technologies can] be molded into modules that blend seamlessly with building surfaces in any colour, including pure white…[The] solar cells are expected to work at temperatures 20 to 30 degrees Celsius below standard models…” click here for more

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