PV Gap

Vernon Said:

Is it possible to have transparent solar panels that can act as windows? Is it safe?

We Answered:

not as windows itself but part of the architecture

here are some examples

http://images.google.ca/images?hl=en&um=…


Anita

Howard Said:

Is it possible to make transparent solar panels ?

We Answered:

All solar panels allow some light to travel through them. This is actually a big problem, and most photovoltaic cells have a thin reflective layer on the back so the light that has managed to penetrate bounces back into the cell.

Photovoltaic cells "destroy" light. The photons (in simple terms - the stuff light is made of) are absorbed by atoms in a process that releases energy. The photon is now gone - the energy in the light has been transformed into electrical energy.

This is a very over simplified explanation, but hopefully you can see that if light is passing through the cell it can't be prodcing power.

Willard Said:

Can you make a solar panel using transparent silicon?

We Answered:

The solar panel silicon material should have the characteristic of :
1- absorbing the solar radiation to produce an electrical current.
2- The silicon material should be an P-N material to conduct electricity.

so the transparent solar panel can't conduct electricity due to the mentioned first reason

Salvador Said:

Fixing cracks on a smashed solar panel?

We Answered:

First make sure that it's putting out full, or nearly full, current. If the solar cells have been cracked it can read full voltage but only be capable of a watt or so, so check it under load - like an automotive dome light. If it's worth sealing, the crack filler/sealer sold at car parts stores for windshields will do a good job.

Loretta Said:

transparent solar panel windows?

We Answered:

I heard something about a 'clear' photovoltaic cell that is being Incorporated into a skylight.