Every home has at least one window, so why not turn that window into an energy-attracting solar panel? So goes the thinking of Norwegian company EnSol, which has patented a spray-on film that turns windows into solar panels.
The spray-on film saps up solar energy because it's made from metal nanoparticles, with the Professor of Nanotechnology at Leicester University, Chris Binns, explaining that "some light has to be absorbed in order to generate power but the windows would just have a slight tinting (though a transmission of only 8-10% is common place for windows in the ‘sun belt' areas of the world)."
Apparently, there's hope that this spray-on film could even be applied to the actual building, as well as the windows. That's hope for windowless residents, if ever I heard one.
Currently undergoing testing by both EnSol and the University of Leicester's Physics and Astronomy department, the patent application has already been filed to get this innovative product to market by 2016. [EnSol via GizMag]