Spray-on Solar Power Techonology Unveiled at USF

Sunlight shines through four prototype "Solar Windows" in small scaled demo house.

The typical photovoltaic panel may soon be made obsolete by technology unveiled at the University of South Florida. The new solar technology, developed by USF physics professor Dr. Xiaomei Jiang, is a spray on coating that turns sunlight and artificial light into electricity.

“I have always dreamed that one day some of my research results could turn into real products that could benefit our society,” Dr. Jiang said at a Thursday afternoon news conference.

In 2008, her research caught the interest of New Energy Technologies which partnered in its development. CEO John Conklin explained to the media how the technology, called Solar Window, differs from typical photovoltaic cells.

“First it does not use silicon, second the other technologies are not transparent and cannot be used in a window application for transparency,” Conklin said. “The one important aspect is that it allows us to look as the entire building to generate power rather than just the rooftop structure.”

The current Solar Window prototype is a series of purplish-red, transparent squares, sprayed on a four-by-four inch piece of glass. In a darkened lab setting, a single prototype piece powered a small fan by converting light from a small lamp.

A commercial sized prototype is expected to be developed by 2011. Conklin said they’re doing parallel development of the technology and manufacturing techniques.