White Solar PV Modules Open New Windows Of Possibilities In Building-Integrated Solar Power Market

November 9th, 2014 by Mridul Chadha

Building-integrated solar photovoltaic modules are fast catching up in the rapidly evolving construction business where emphasis on energy efficiency and self-reliance are becoming increasingly popular.

The Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM) recently announced that it has created white solar PV modules which would be apt for use in buildings and may offer applications in several other consumer-centered sectors. Conventional solar PV modules are blue or black in colour, which may adversely impact the aesthetics of a building. The dark colour of the modules comes from the cells and electrical connections within the module. The dark colour also helps in greater absorption of solar radiation.

The technology developed by CSEM uses a scattering filter to produce white light while allowing the infrared radiation to pass through to the solar cells. This technology can be used to modify any crystalline solar PV module to produce white or coloured modules.

Additionally, the scattering filter can be applied to already installed modules or integrated into the modules during the manufacturing phase. Integration of this technique into the assembly line would help module manufacturers widen their product portfolio.

Coloured solar modules can be used in laptops, mobiles, tablet computers, cars, and several other consumer products. Rumours of an iPhone equipped with solar cells have been prevalent for years now; this technology may finally help mobile manufacturers achieve this goal without compromising on the looks of the device.

Companies with large office spaces are looking at building-integrated PV modules as a promising technology to reduce dependence of grid electricity and reduce their carbon footprint. With companies and even households around the world pushing for integration of renewable energy and energy efficiency systems within their infrastructure, this new technology could help give the BI-PV industry the push it requires.

However, what it often comes down to is cost per kWh of electricity produced. BIPV products such as these are really nothing new. They’ve been around for ages. They still have only a small market because they just aren’t as competitive as conventional PV. Will something change with these new white solar modules? I’m not holding my breath.

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–> More stories on solar windows.

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Image Credit: CSEM

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Tags: building-integrated photovoltaic technology, solar PV modules, Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology

About the Author

Mridul Chadha currently works as Head-News & Data at Climate Connect Limited, a market research and analytics firm in the renewable energy and carbon markets domain. He earned his Master’s in Technology degree from The Energy & Resources Institute in Renewable Energy Engineering and Management. He also has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering. Mridul has a keen interest in renewable energy sector in India and emerging carbon markets like China and Australia.

Ronald Brakels

I see two people wearing dark suits holding a panel while standing on an asphalt road in the shade. Call me paranoid, but you know, I think this panel might not be the brilliant white of a 0.95 albedo surface, but rather a more laid back 0.5 or less. Things can look white without reflecting much light depending on the background and if they reflect the different wavelengths of visible light evenly. Take the moon for example. It looks pretty white but it’s surface is mostly dark basalt which gives it an overall albedo of only 0.1. So I’m thinking this panel might be a dull white with a reasonably low albedo, and that’s fine. It will take less of a hit to electrical output while still having the desired visual effect.
- jeffhre
  
  Looking at the building behind them, I see 17 commercial grade (not brilliant white) architectural building panels facing the sun within the photo. Using this PV surface for the top layer of the architectural building panels wouldn’t be much more expensive that using conventional materials, once the initial production engineering issues were sorted out.
  
  That quantity wouldn’t provide much power for a building that size. But it is only a small part of the building, and billions of these panels have been sold!
  - Jenny Sommer
    
    Or you could just follow the first link and find a gallery in which they are standing in the sun and some other places with the panels…
    
    looks white to me but I would go and see it first if I was to get them…
    http://www.multivu.com/players/English/72762576-csem-white-solar-modules-revolution/gallery//image/9318288c-b53a-49dc-9033-d64e5633d8a5.HR.jpg
    - jeffhre
      
      OK thanks. Pretty cool video there also. Just visual stuff though.
      
      1) Better with a Pantone scale? Numbers?
      2) No hints on efficiency potential.
      3) Cost not covered.
      4) Doesn’t answer Ronald’s question of which whites are possible.
      5) Is it under glass like current PV panels.
      6) Can it be curved.
      7) Is it a suitable material to top traditional architectural panels.
      - Jenny Sommer
        
        Valid questions. At least you saw a photo of the panel in the sun
        I would still check with the manufacturer before ordering.
      - jeffhre
        
        My fear is that the specifications, pricing and efficiency of this potential product places it several years from a ready-to-order condition.
      - globi
        
        According to this article, efficiency of a white panel would drop from 18% to 11% and module-costs would increase by 20%. link
        
        It’s obviously a niche product, but a few people will prefer a white or a colored facade or gabled roof over a black one. Just like some people prefer a granite over a stainless steel counter-top.
        
        http://www.srf.ch/var/storage/images/auftritte/kultur/bilder/2014/11/02/node_5540190/72889114-2-ger-DE/bild_span12.jpg
      - jeffhre
        
        That’s not as bad a drop as I was expecting. Very encouraging. Looking forward to seeing if they can sign agreements to bring their process to production lines. Hopefully they can meet their projections and the prices get better over time.
- Bob_Wallace
  
  A whiter shade of gray…
  - Calamity_Jean
    
    Paraphrasing Procol Harum?
    - Bob_Wallace
      
      Someone remembers…
      - Calamity_Jean
        
        I’m showing my age (63). How the heck did I get so old?
      - Bob_Wallace
        
        Danged if I know. I’m out in front of you scouting the frontier and I’ve found no answer for why the years have slipped by so fast.
        
        And why they are speeding by faster and faster….
      - Calamity_Jean
        
        “And why they are speeding by faster and faster….”
        
        I actually know the answer to that one. It’s because each additional year is a smaller proportion of the time you’ve already lived. For a one-year-old, a year is a whole lifetime, but for a fifty-year-old, a year is only 2% of a lifetime.
Offgridman

Granted that there isn’t as much energy production from this type of panel, but that may not be such an issue in the semi tropical or desert areas of the southern US. And these are areas where the roofs are treated or made with light colored or white materials to help prevent heat absorption anyways. So as panels reduce in price and increase in efficiency some might find this application appealing to totally cover their roofs in white panels rather than just have a section with dark colored panels on it. It would also help with the aesthetic issue that some have of just putting panels on part of their high dollar expensive McMansions.
No it won’t be for everyone, and some will continue to be more concerned with efficiency, but every little bit will help in getting solar on more roofs for a more distributed and secure grid.
- Guest
  
  And some may just want a white or colored facade which also happens to produce electricity.
Larmion

The problem is that by scattering the visible light spectrum and only using infrared, those cells barely achieve half the efficiency of a normal solar cell. Solar is becoming cheaper, but we’re not nearly at a point where it’s so cheap we can afford to pay the same or more for half the efficiency.

Oh, about that solar iPhone: not going to happen. Calculate the amount of solar iradiation per square meter available (use the equator for a best case scenario), then look at a smartphone’s power use per unit of surface area. Oh, and that’s assuming the smartphone is in full sunlight all the time – which is perfectly realistic, since nobody ever keeps his phone in his pocket, purse or hands

The same thing goes for cars and laptops: they have too small a surface area to come close to being self powered under ideal circumstances.
- jeffhre
  
  “Oh, and that’s assuming the smartphone is in full sunlight all the time – which is perfectly realistic, since nobody ever keeps his phone in his pocket, purse or hands ;)”
  
  iPhone in a holster with the back side exposed and clad with white PV cells, using an iWatch for the interface of course!