Maria Elenita Tetangco

Solar Windows: The Future of Windows Like all other responsible citizens of our modern-day world, I spend a considerable amount of time mulling over the problems that affect our world today—problems that we‘ve brought upon ourselves by not caring enough about the impact that our decisions may have on the future. Decades ago, scientists were already raising the alarm about environmental abuse, global warming, the need for sustainability and the lack of alternative sources of energy, among other things. Yet, for the most part, the world continued to assume that the good times would last forever. Only a small handful of forward-thinking visionaries valiantly dedicated themselves to stemming the growing tide of environmental wastefulness. It’s been a long, hard road towards awareness and behavior that is more responsible. We still need to do what little we can to make a difference. As an expert in the home improvement industry, I’ve observed technology adapt to the changes that end users—call them consumers, or the general public—now seek in the products they buy. Through the Looking Glass How do I see the world ten, twenty, a hundred years from today? I can only speak about how things have been changing in my industry. I work with windows. I’m a windows (house windows, that is) expert, if you want to put things simply. I’ve seen the demand for energy-efficient windows grow in leaps and bounds over the past few decades. Once, people would have dismissed the idea of “investing” in newfangled technologies—i.e., spending a heck of a lot of moolah on products that could bring them only a tad more value in dollars and cents terms. Today, people are beginning to measure the value of products in terms of their environmental impact—and we now see more people willing to shell out the necessary cash to better “invest in the future.” The Here and Now Today’s windows have much more advanced technology than the windows we used to produce only a decade or so ago. Today, homeowners can make their selection from a wide array of energy-efficient options that are offered by "super-windows.” These are superior windows with low-E coatings, spaces filled with argon and krypton gases, and triple layer designs. "Smart windows," are now also commercially available. These windows have switchable glazing that changes in response to electric currents or environmental signals, such as different levels of light. Depending on the mechanism that initiates the change, these fall into four categories: 1. Electrochromic 2. Liquid crystal 3. Thermochromic 4. Photochromic At this time, however, prices for such products (many of which are still under further development) are currently somewhat prohibitive. The Wave Of the Future Still, development doesn’t stop there. Already, research into much more energy-efficient yet aesthetically pleasing products is underway. The next great amazing thing to watch out for is solar glass. Does this sound somewhat familiar? The technology brings solar panel technology a huge and significant step further by transforming the seemingly plain old glass in windows into solar power generators capable of converting sunlight into electricity! Research funds are today being poured into research projects that will allow this photovoltaic glass to do its magic. “The technology works by adding a layer of transparent solid-state solar cells at most three microns thick to conventional glass, in order to turn around 12% of the solar energy received into low-carbon electricity. The power can then be exported to the national grid or used for the running of a building,” says Kevin Arthur, CEO of Oxford Photovoltaics, which is spearheading one of many such projects. Other similar projects are underway in the U.S. and other countries. If things go as planned, relatively cheap solar glass will soon be available to everyone the world over. The technology is expected to add 10% to the cost of a typical glass building facade, a steal considering that the building can then be expected to produce a significant amount of zero-pollution power. The technology will also greatly reduce carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere; creating a huge positive impact on our environment. Buildings today account for as much as 39% of all CO2 emissions in the U.S., according to the U.S. Green Building Council. The use of solar glass is imminent; and it’s the game changer the world is waiting for. Author Bio: References: http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/residential/windows/windows_future.html http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/the-glass-of-the-future-will-be-made-of-solar-panels http://www.techtimes.com/articles/13575/20140820/transparent-solar-panel-cell-michigan-state-university.htm http://techland.time.com/2012/07/24/windows-that-generate-electricity-from-invisible-light-is-this-the-future-or-what/ http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140414123820.htm http://www.cnbc.com/id/101684220#. http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-08-05/news/41093399_1_solar-energy-efficiency-cells http://theweek.com/speedreads/index/260238/speedreads-the-solar-window-is-here http://www.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/2gnt0o/new_transparent_solar_panels_could_fit_invisibly/ http://ngwindows.com/blog/a-look-into-the-future-windows-as-solar-cells/ http://eetd.lbl.gov/sites/all/files/publications/51913.pdf http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/18/tech/innovation/solar-cells-of-the-future/