Imagine a world where your smartphone charges itself simply by being exposed to sunlight, without the need for cords or outlets.
Researchers have long sought ways to integrate renewable energy into everyday objects, and this futuristic vision is now moving closer to reality, thanks to a breakthrough that could potentially allow devices to charge directly from their screens.
A research team from the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering of Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has developed transparent solar cells that can be embedded into the glass surfaces of mobile devices, cars and buildings, providing a seamless and efficient way to generate power from sunlight.
Environmentally friendly future energy
Led by Professor Kwanyong Seo, the transparent solar cell and module have a glass-like, colorless and transparent appearance. The team achieved this by using an ‘all-back-contact’ design, where all solar cell components are placed on the back, leaving the front visually unobstructed. The researchers also developed Seamless Modularization technology, which eliminates gaps between solar cells and eliminates the need for opaque metal wires, both of which previously compromised the appearance of transparent solar cells.
The team’s 16 cm² transparent solar cell module achieved high efficiency, with transmission ranging between 20% and 14.7%, and successfully charged a smartphone using natural sunlight, demonstrating the potential of screens to serve as an energy source serve.
“This study has fundamentally solved the aesthetic problem of the existing modular solar cell method through the design of the new device structure,” noted researcher Jeonghwan Park and research assistant Professor Kangmin Lee. “It offers the possibility that transparent silicon solar cells can be used in various industries, such as small appliances, as well as in buildings and car windows.”
Professor Seo added: “We have opened a new path for research into modularization, which is essential for the commercialization of transparent silicon solar cells. We plan to continue further research so that transparent solar cells can become a key technology in the environmentally friendly energy industry of the future.”
The research was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).