Solar could transform office blocks into power producers

By Justin Norrie on 21 March 2012

By Justin Norrie, The Conversation on 21 March, 2012 

Cheap carbon nanotubes could be sprayed onto the windows of high-rise buildings, creating solar cells that generate power. Freefoto/Ian Britton

Skyscrapers could one day generate enough power to offset much of their energy consumption, thanks to a breakthrough by Australian researchers who have moved a step closer to creating solar-cell windows.

For his recently completed PhD, Mark Bissett, from Flinders University’s School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, has developed a solar cell using transparent carbon nanotubes that can be sprayed onto windows.

Carbon nanotubes are cheaper and more efficient than their energy-sapping, silicon-based solar cells, Dr Bissett said. The nanotubes can be applied to windows without blocking light, and are also flexible enough to be weaved into a range of materials.

But the technology was 10 years away from becoming a commercial reality, Dr Bissett said.

While the amount of power generated by solar windows would not be enough to completely offset the energy consumption of a standard office building, Dr Bissett said they still had many financial and environmental advantages.