“Glass windows which posh up your homes can actually help India go green.” Don’t you think it’s an amazing idea to use the windows to capture light and generate electricity? Of course “Yes”. The researchers at the University of Minnesota and University of Milano-Bicocca have made this dream come true using silicon nanoparticle-coated windows.
The researchers developed silicon particles which can be embedded into the luminescent solar concentrators. When the light passes through the photovoltaic windows, certain light frequencies are captured by the particles and transferred to the corners of the windows where the solar cells are present. A fascinating feature is that these windows are not at all bulky or non-environmental friendly. The idea about using solar concentrators such as lead, indium, and cadmium for various technologies have been going on since long but the use of silicon particles which are eco-friendly and abundant in nature is the best option. The researchers modified the bulky-sized silicon particles into nanoparticles so that it does not reabsorb its own luminescence and in turn becomes an efficient light emitter. But the major concern is regarding the concentration of the solar light; therefore, they decided to powder the silicon nanoparticles using plasma reactors and then turned it into an ink solution for further embedding it into the polymers so that it can be converted into a flexible plastic sheet or a thin film. These windows can prove to be highly beneficial in the metropolitan areas.
Over the last few years, this technology has accelerated rapidly which in turn can help the various regions including India to reach its green targets at a faster pace.