Episode 129 | See-through Solar | Ubiquitous Energy
Solar-powered windows hold a lot of promise. In some skyscrapers, the vertical area can be 50-100x of a rooftop.
California-based Ubiquitous Energy has developed a transparent solar cell technology. A proprietary coating is placed on a window pane; sunlight is collected and converted into power.
My guest, VP-Strategy Veeral Hardev, The key was how to make it clear. “The thinking was, if we’re able to make it nicer to look at and transparent, you could then apply this technology to so many more surface areas,” he says.
The technology makes one significant trade-off: in exchange for transparency, Ubiquitous panes only collect non-visible light (i.e. infrared and ultraviolet). Visible light makes up about ⅓ of solar energy, so these panes are about 66% as energy efficient as a typical solar cell.
Ubiquitous argues their tradeoff is worth it. With these windows, homes, buildings, greenhouses, cars, and electronics can now produce power that’s practically invisible.
Ubiquitous sees their product as a window technology, not a solar panel. This meant overcoming the challenge of proving their product would be resilient-enough to withstand decades of productivity. Veeral says the industry came around—but only after strenuous internal and 3rd-party verification.
“We naively thought, let’s just go and partner up with a lot of these companies,” says Veeral. “Instead, it’s like, ‘Ooh, why don’t you guys actually prove it, and do it first, then we’ll be the first customers in line.’”
As the time of this recording, Veeral says Ubiquitous has met with nearly every window manufacturer around the world.
“We talk a lot about, we want to disrupt the product, but we don’t want to disrupt the supply chain. That’s the way that we can get the most broad adoption the fastest.”
In addition to powering the sides of buildings, Veeral sees this as a perfect complement to traditional solar energy. He says Ubiquitous has also been talking to solar manufacturers about ways to combine installations and harness some shared infrastructure, like inverters and on-site batteries.
“We think of our technology definitely not as a replacement for traditional solar technology, but as a complement,” says Veeral. “We often say, use as much solar renewable energy technology as you can…where you can.”
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