SolarWindow Technologies, Inc., has unveiled what it calls an invisible system for transporting electricity within the companys electricity-generating windows.
The company is currently developing its SolarWindow for tall towers and skyscrapers, which it says consume nearly 40% of the U.S. electrical power.
The SolarWindow generates electricity when its transparent organic coatings are applied in thin layers onto glass surfaces. The companys new SolarWindow Intra-Connection System moves electricity within these electricity-generating coatings to invisible wires, which transport electricity across the surface to the edge of the glass, where its connected to building electrical systems.
The SolarWindow Intra-Connection System is virtually invisible to the human eye at approximately 50 micrometers (µm) wide. The average human hair is approximately twice as thick, or 100 µm wide, the company points out.
Traditional intra-connection wires can be as wide as 500 µm. The SolarWindow system includes a discreet pattern of microscopic channels that allow for the efficient transport of electricity within the window.
Today, we move forward in our quest to build skyscraper windows that generate vast amounts of electricity, in two important ways, said John A. Conklin, SolarWindow Technologies president and CEO. First, for our customers, the aesthetic appeal of this type of electrical connection system that is practically invisible to the human eye is clear. Second, this innovation provides advantages in high-speed manufacturing that traditional approaches simply cannot compete with.
The company added that the prospect of a virtually invisible electricity transportation system within and on the surface of windows was especially attractive to architects, designers and building occupants in tall towers and skyscrapers.
The company said its SolarWindows achieve an independently validated one-year financial payback when modeled for installation on a 50-story building.
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