Solar panels are not known for their aesthetic appeal. They are dark, unattractive, uniform blocks that clash with modern and historic architecture.
There have been many efforts over the years focusing on making them prettier with color. But this has always meant a loss of efficiency.
Now, an engineering breakthrough is opening up more shades of the rainbow.
It’s a new kind of solar panel that hides in plain sight. And it still maintains 95% of its power.
The device’s inspiration is drawn from a living creature. So how does bio-solar work?
Why photovoltaics and aesthetics have never been friends
Just about the only place that standard photovoltaic panels look like they fit is on a commercial warehouse. There’s not much to work with from a looks point of view when you’re dealing with flat, dark blocks.
This is why solar power installations were never going to win any architectural beauty contests.
No one is going to choose to look at them on the walls or roof of a historic brick home or even a modern apartment block.
Architects hate them, and homeowners associations actively ban them.
The reason for black, black, and more black comes down to basic physics. Traditional PV panels need to absorb maximum sunlight, which is most efficient with the darkest shades.
Applying synthetic dyes to change their appearance only serves to block the light. Efficiency crashes immediately.
The compromise is frustrating: clean energy or beautiful neighborhoods.
But now, a German engineering breakthrough may get solar arrays onto the covers of magazines. A new technology is driving a PV makeover, allowing panels to blend into normal building materials.
Soon, the innovation may see solar installations that resemble masonry or roof tiles. What’s most exciting is that none of the panel’s power is sacrificed.
How can a panel completely disguise itself using one of nature’s most stunning designs?
Beauty and efficiency in a single PV package
Scientists from Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have developed a technology called ShadeCut. The design processes involve laser and computer-aided software to mark incredibly intricate patterns into colored PV film.
The film itself is highly versatile and flexible. It can be applied as an encapsulation layer or a backsheet added to standard solar energy systems.
The data is looking great, proving that the technology works as well as any black panel, if not better.
The patterned units retain an incredible 95% of their power, which has been proven with independent measurements.
Full-surface modules with enhanced designs deliver up to 94% efficiency.
The most interesting part of the innovation is that we’re not actually seeing chemical color pigments at all. The reds, greens, and golds are a trick of geometry.
The film behaves like a living entity that manipulates the light. What are we looking at if it’s not synthetic dye?
Solar energy drawing inspiration from the tropical rainforest
The concept behind the bio-solar panel is based on the morpho butterfly, which is a brilliant bright blue.
The wings of these tropical insects are covered in microscopic, 3D photonic structures called lamellae. The phenomenon is called structural color.
Essentially, the structures function like precision mirrors, resulting in low-loss light interference.
The butterfly’s wings only bounce back one very narrow band of light. This is the exact wavelength of the vibrant blue we ultimately perceive.
Every other wavelength of light is allowed to pass through
This is the natural masterpiece that the Fraunhofer-Institut researchers managed to mimic in the new material. It involves a vacuum process that applies a matching microstructure to the rear side of the module’s cover glass.
The SOLARCOLOR panel only reflects a tiny sliver of the spectrum. It’s enough to trick your eyes.
Up to 95% of incoming sunlight passes straight down to the solar cells.
By transforming flat glass into a bio-canvas, we no longer have to choose between historic preservation and clean energy.
If nature can harvest power while looking beautiful, why can’t our cities do the same?