Solar Power From Windows
One of the challenges of introducing solar power into our homes is the high cost of the initial installation. This can be offset by the savings once panels are in place but, at today's prices, that could take years. Although the increases in electicity, gas and oil bills may mean this timescale is reduced. Also, in countries where sunlight is less bright and less frequent efficiency is decreased. Solar heat is particularly difficult to produce enough energy for.
Recently there has been some work at MIT that may help solve this problem. They've been working on somthing call a solar conectrator which allows a mixture of 2 or more dyes to be painted onto a pain of glass or plastic that absorb light. This light is then passed onto solar cells that are placed at the edge of the glass or plastic.
The idea is that windows could be painted with these dyes, which don't block the passage of light, and energy could be generated from the cells. The scientists claim this method is 10 times more powerful than todays methods of producing energy from sunlight.
Sounds like a great idea to me. What not's clear though is exactly how much it would cost to fit an entire house with these special windows. At the moment the cheapest method seems to be to fit used solar panels but the windows sound like a much better bet for the future.