Windows will make their own electricity

Courier Mail
Thursday 10/4/2008 Page: 19

WINDOWS could soon be energy generators while scientists are also trying to turn smokestack emissions into plastics. Queensland University of Technology is working with a Canberra-based company to develop transparent solar cells that act as both windows and energy generators in houses or commercial buildings. John Bell said the solar cell glass would make a significant difference to home and building owners energy costs and could, in fact, generate excess energy that could be stored or sold.

Professor Bell said the glass was one of a variety of practical technologies that would help combat global warming, which was a focus of research at the university's Institute for Sustainable Resources. "The transparent solar cells have a faint reddish hue but are completely see-through," Professor Bell said. "The solar cells contain titanium dioxide coated in a dye that increases light absorption. "The glass captures solar energy which can be used to power the house but can also reduce overheating of the house, reducing the need for cooling." Professor Bell said it would be possible to build houses made entirely of the transparent solar cells.

The glass would be on the market in a few years and QUT was trying to make the product more efficient, he said. Meanwhile, US research has found that the carbon dioxide from smokestack emissions can be used as a raw material for making plastics. The process creates polycarbonates, which can be used to make items like CDs and bottles. The research suggests the process could be up and running within a few years and significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions.