Beautiful futuristic solar cells in glass

For a number of years, the Danish Technological Institute has been researching the development of electro-chemical solar cells which can potentially be cheaper than traditional silicium solar cells. The new type of solar cell is well suited to be used in glass facades on for example office buildings. The development has now come so far that some of the components have to be produced by industrial processes at the Danish company Mekoprint A/S. Energinet.dk is subsidising the project.

The project’s vision is to develop a technology to start off industrial production of solar cell panels in glass. The panels are to be placed in building facades. The Danish Technological Institute is developing the new so-called DSC cell, ‘Dye Sensitized Solar Cell’, in glass together with the universities in Copenhagen and Aalborg as well as the company Mekoprint A/S in Støvring which makes silk prints of electronic components.

- Solar panels in glass is a fantastic building material. The sky is the limit as far as thinking up uses for the material, says senior consultant Hanne Lauritzen from the Danish Technological Institute.

A solar cell in transparent glass can for example be used as a sun-screen in roof partitions, e.g. in a swimming pool. Furthermore, the solar cells can be made in different colours, patterns and forms. The solar cell panels are therefore especially well suited to creating fun and exciting glass mosaics as building decoration.

The basic idea of the project is to develop a concept for integrating solar cells into constructions where the guiding principle is the interaction between the solar cell and the interior daylight. When sunlight hits a transparent solar cell only a part of the energy is converted into electricity.

The rest of the energy is either reflected back or directed into the room where it provides both daylight and warmth. The light through the solar cell panels can, if managed with care, create an indoor atmosphere in which the movement and variation of the sun over the course of a day are reflected, thus creating a living and attractive indoor climate in the building.

The solar cell should therefore be seen as an attractive building element which, as well as producing electricity, can also function as a sunscreen and provide a temperate interior climate with pleasant daylight, which is a classic theme in architecture.

- Our ambition is that our solar cell in glass should last at least as long as a traditional solar cell, which means it should have a lifetime of at least 25 years. At the moment we are working on developing a suitable capsule for the solar cell, which can protect the cell’s chemical parts, Hanne Lauritzen tells us.

The durability is being tested in the Danish Technological Institute’s laboratories.
Tests are also being carried out to see what effects light, UV rays, moisture and temperature variations have on the cell.

The Danish Technological Institute is a leading player in the research and development of electro-chemical solar cells in glass. The new type of solar cells is ideal for the decoration of buildings, also providing a pleasant interior climate.