Scientists have been working in agreement with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to create a more efficient prototype, increasing the number of working solar cells that contact the surface area.
Other technologies look to increase the size of the windows and develop less expensive coating materials (the largest window so far is one square foot).
This will all be done through these innovative sprays and films. The University of Texas is working on solar paint that simply sprays onto the surface, while start-ups like Innovalight have engineered a solar ink "tattoo" that can be applied directly to windows.
Recent employment stats show that the private sector is catching up on investment in future solar enterprises. In the meantime, companies with breakthrough technologies have had to rely on the public sector investments to see their ideas through to production.
This is only the same story that has been told for generations: the fossil fuel industry has always relied on the public sector to deliver fuel.
The NREL is an example of an ambitious program to help solar start-ups get up and running, merging private interest with federal support, to help create more green jobs as well as increasingly lower the cost of solar energy.
Credit: www.garvindirect.com
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