5 Solar Energy Innovations That Are Shaping The Future

5 Solar Energy Innovations That Are Shaping The Future

We all know how extensive usage of fossil fuels is leading to global warming in an alarming way. It has made it imperative for us to come up with sustainable solutions that are minimum on carbon footprint and greenhouse emissions. Solar energy, with its limitless supply, has been harnessed to meet the world’s power demands. While we are still miles from optimally making use of this energy source, each year we witness groundbreaking innovations that take us closer to self-sufficiency in clean energy. Here is a list of top 5 inventions that are path breaking and will surely become mainstream in the years to come.

Solar Windows

This is a special kind of solar films that can be put on glass of any to all buildings to convert them into solar energy generators. Organizations are now using Organic Photovoltaic (OPV) technology to develop electricity-generating see-through windows. Scientists working with this technology have claimed that using solar windows on a 50-storey window can reduce carbon emissions equivalent to emitted by 2.2 million vehicles in a year! Furthermore, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), USA, is developing switchable solar windows that can change from clear to coloured in the presence of sunlight.

Solar Transportation

Australia introduced the solar powered bus with zero emissions in 2013, and changed the face of automobile industry forever. Close on its heels, the airline industry too is undergoing a metamorphic change! The Solar Impulse 2 was the first solar-powered plane, which made history when it flew around the world. The plane carried more than 17,000 photovoltaic cells that enabled the aircraft to fly non-stop for days. There are now solar-boats, solar powered bus stops, solar cars too. However, the energy harnessing capabilities on these have to be better streamlined to see mass-production.

Solar Power Trees

VTT Technical Center in Finland has come up with a unique concept of inventing Solar Power Trees. These tree lookalikes harness solar energy to charge various electric devices like mobiles, laptops, electric vehicles, etc. This invention is seen as crucial because there will be a twin benefit of it providing shade as a regular tree while also doubling up as a solar energy storehouse.

Solar Desalinization

Desalinization is the process of removing salt from sea water to make it fit for drinking. This process has been in practice for the past hundreds of years. In fact, it is estimated that more than 300 million people in the world get fresh water through 19 thousand desalinization plants globally. Solar desalinization is seen as the next big thing to solve the global fresh water crisis. The solar desalinization system uses a combination of membrane distillation technology and sunlight-harvesting nanophotonic cells to convert salty or brackish water into fresh drinking water. This technology will become of particular importance in drought-stricken areas where fresh water is nearly impossible to get.

Photobiological Cells

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed Biological Photovoltaic Cells (BPV) that use photosynthetic material in algae to generate electricity. Once these ‘living solar panels’ are ready for use, they will emerge as an environmentally-friendly and low-cost approach to harness solar power and generate green energy.