Electricity-Producing Windows Installed in California

Image courtesy of Ubiquitous Energy

Ubiquitous Energy, a Silicon Valley-based technology company, has installed at its company headquarters in Redwood City, Calif., the world’s first transparent solar window facade. Its solar technology has won numerous awards and is said to be applicable to the display of various devices too, including wearables, internet-of-things devices, as well as digital signage.

The company’s office at 3696 Haven Ave. has some 100 square feet of windows that have been equipped with this technology. Specifically, the previously single-pane windows have been replaced with double-pane windows, the exterior facing one being glazed into a fiberglass frame that matches the existing aesthetic of the building’s windows. The new windows not only produce energy but also improve the thermal insulation in the conference room.

Image courtesy of Ubiquitous Energy

While conventional solar cells are opaque, the film that coats the windows installed at the company’s headquarters is applied using standard glass coating equipment and is highly transparent and thin (1/1,000^th of a millimeter). It consists of non-toxic materials and selectively transmits light visible to the human eye while absorbing the ultraviolet and infrared light and converting it into electricity. The electricity generated by the windows is used to power the LED lighting in the adjacent room and the overall façade is connected to an energy management system that monitors and logs its power generation.