Solar panels released in an array of colors
June 7, 2011 by Katie Gatto 
(PhysOrg.com) -- Solar panels are, for the most part, large black panels, made of squares, but what if it does not have to be that way. What if users could get all of the benefits of solar panels without making their roofs look like the side of a Manhattan skyscraper?
One Canadian-based solar technology company is looking to change that view. Qsolar has announced the creation of the Kristal and Kristal Rainbow range of semi-transparent and colored semi-transparent solar panels. These lines come in a variety of colors, including red, green, brown and blue as well as in a few different patterns. The panels do not have frames attached to them, because the panels are rigid.
At first, this may seem like it is simply a vanity, putting a new skin on a green technology, but these semi-transparent have a chance to go places that standard solar panels are simply not used, making them an option for buildings that do not have the space to support a standard solar panel set up. Some potential places these new panels could be installed include windows and the glass spaces of atrium roofs. This makes them optimal for building with limited roof space, due to either building design issues or the fact that other equipment has previously been placed on the roof.
The panels are already available for purchase by the public. Information on pricing is on a case-by-case basis, and interested consumers should contact the company to find out what the system would cost to be installed in their building.
© 2010 PhysOrg.com
-
From lemons to lemonade: Reaction uses carbon dioxide to make carbon-based semiconductor,
32 comments
-
Thioridazine kills cancer stem cells in human while avoiding toxic side-effects of conventional cancer treatments,
3 comments
-
SpaceX private rocket blasts off for space station (Update),
42 comments
-
Climate scientists say they have solved riddle of rising sea,
31 comments
-
SpaceX capsule has 'new car' smell, astronauts say (Update),
2 comments
-
Need a rigid insulation material???
12 hours ago
-
magnets or EMF in car bumpers to protect from fender bender
May 26, 2012
-
length of wire in a coil of known dimensions?
May 25, 2012
-
India Engineering Powerhouse
May 25, 2012
-
electromagnet core dereference between hard and soft iron
May 25, 2012
-
Measuring water pressure in an open tank
May 24, 2012
- More from Physics Forums - General Engineering
More news stories
Browser wars flare in mobile space
The browser wars are heating up again, but this time the fight is for dominance of the mobile Internet.
4 hours ago |
5 / 5 (1) |
2
Probability of contamination from severe nuclear reactor accidents is higher than expected: study
Catastrophic nuclear accidents such as the core meltdowns in Chernobyl and Fukushima are more likely to happen than previously assumed. Based on the operating hours of all civil nuclear reactors and the number ...
Technology / Energy & Green Tech
May 22, 2012 |
3.6 / 5 (22) |
56
|
SpotterRF debuts Radar Backpack Kit (w/ Video)
(Phys.org) -- SpotterRF has announced a special radar backpack kit designed to enhance situational awareness for soldiers on the ground. The company says its special radar is designed for warfighters as part ...
Technology / Hi Tech & Innovation
May 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (5) |
12
|
HyperSolar shows dirty water no barrier to power world
(Phys.org) -- The Santa Barbara, California, company, HyperSolar, is set to transparently share the ups and downs of its research experiences toward the company’s ultimate vision, successfully producing ...
Technology / Energy & Green Tech
May 24, 2012 |
4.8 / 5 (16) |
17
|
Tesla to launch electric sedan in US on June 22
Tesla Motors said Tuesday it would begin deliveries of "the world's first premium electric sedan" on June 22, slightly ahead of schedule.
Technology / Energy & Green Tech
May 22, 2012 |
4.5 / 5 (11) |
18
Nvidia trumpets Tegra 3 phone design wins for 2012
(Phys.org) -- Nvidia’s competitive war paint has a name, Tegra 3. On the heels of Nvidia announcements about lowering costs of its Tegra 3 processors and Nvidia-enabled tablets running Android Ice Cream ...
Scientist: Evolution debate will soon be history
(AP) -- Richard Leakey predicts skepticism over evolution will soon be history. Not that the avowed atheist has any doubts himself.
Dell tablet leak: 10.1-inch display, two-battery choice
(Phys.org) -- Headline after headline talks about vendors’ tablets in the wings as likely number-one contenders for the iPad. Such claims have justifiably been taken with a grain of salt, considering ...
Keep food safety in mind this memorial day weekend
(HealthDay) -- Picnics, parades and cookouts are as much a part of Memorial Day weekend as tributes to the United States' war veterans.
Social welfare cuts ultimately come with heavy price, researchers say
(Phys.org) -- Slashing government funding for Medicaid, food stamps and other programs that serve the poor – while politically popular with some lawmakers and many conservatives – may do more harm ...
Is a classical electrodynamics law incompatible with special relativity?
(Phys.org) -- The laws of classical electromagnetism that were developed in the 19th century are the same laws that scientists use today. They include Maxwell’s four equations along with the Lorentz la ...
Jun 07, 2011
Rank: 5 / 5 (3)
If it made fiscal sense, I would have the south side of my roof covered with the normal panels. I'm waiting on a more permanent residence that hopefully follows a breakthrough in panel efficiency.
That said, I don't get why normal panels drop a properties marketability or even value. Are most humans THAT shallow and unsure of themselves that the look of their roof is an insurmountable social hurdle? Sad.
Jun 07, 2011
Rank: 5 / 5 (2)
Jun 07, 2011
Rank: not rated yet
Same here. I don't pay attention to values at the moment, but I keep hearing this is why /not/ to install normal panels. Maybe it's only in upscale neighborhoods where energy security is of no concern and social status trumps everything else. I've hear that most home sales are in the low value range these days. Is there recent data to show sales with/without PVs?
Jun 07, 2011
Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
That would be rather incredible, since only upscale neighborhoods have the sort of people who can afford solar panels.
Same thing as with electric cars. Only about 5-10% of people can really afford to be green without making serious compromizes in their quality of life.
Jun 07, 2011
Rank: not rated yet
Jun 07, 2011
Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
Well, I can totally understand how an ill-designed solar array can piss off your neighbors and be a general eyesore.
Jun 07, 2011
Rank: not rated yet
Jun 07, 2011
Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
Exactly. That stuff is everywhere around me. People here still vote down public PV installs.
I actually have to install new heat tape on the north side of my roof this summer. It ain't cheap, but neither is my deductible.
Yeah, I understand that people see it as an eye sore. Don't they instantly know why it's there and shrug it off? No, they don't, because they are hopelessly shallow and selfish people, whomever they are.
Jun 07, 2011
Rank: not rated yet
Benefits?
No power when the sun doesn't shine.
No power after a hailstorm
1/2 power, or less, when it rains.
Installation costs will never be recouped even at a $1 k/h.
Too brittle, and too expensive, to power a first world economy. The only political leaders who would foist this crap off on their population are either idiots or have a wish for the nation to fail.
Cheap energy = economic freedom and liberty.
Expensive energy = slavery
Electricity needs to be too cheap to meter.