Smart windows equipped with controllable glazing can augment lighting, cooling and heating systems by varying their tint, saving up to 40 percent in an average building's energy costs.
These smart windows require power for operation, so they are relatively complicated to install in existing buildings. But by applying a new solar cell technology, researchers at Princeton University have developed a different type of smart window: a self-powered version that promises to be inexpensive and easy to apply to existing windows. This system features solar cells that selectively absorb near-ultraviolet (near-UV) light, so the new windows are completely self-powered.
"Sunlight is a mixture of electromagnetic radiation made up of near-UV rays, visible light, and infrared energy, or heat," said Yueh-Lin (Lynn) Loo, director of the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, and the Theodora D. '78 and William H. Walton III '74 Professor in Engineering. "We wanted the smart window to dynamically control the amount of natural light and heat that can come inside, saving on energy cost and making the space more comfortable."
The smart window controls the transmission of visible light and infrared heat into the building, while the new type of solar cell uses near-UV light to power the system.
"This new technology is actually smart management of the entire spectrum of sunlight," said Loo, who is a professor of chemical and biological engineering. Loo is one of the authors of a paper, published June 30, that describes this technology, which was developed in her lab.
Source: Princeton University
Journal Reference: Nicholas C. Davy, Melda Sezen-Edmonds, Jia Gao, Xin Lin, Amy Liu, Nan Yao, Antoine Kahn, Yueh-Lin Loo. Pairing of near-ultraviolet solar cells with electrochromic windows for smart management of the solar spectrum. Nature Energy, 2017; 2: 17104 DOI: 10.1038/nenergy.2017.104
(Score: 4, Insightful) by kazzie on Monday July 03 2017, @08:08AM (2 children)
Yeah, the principle of drawing the blinds to keep a house cool isn't new, but I've never owned a set of wooden blinds that close themselves when it gets too warm.
I have a sun-catching conservatory on the back of my house: great for helping to heat the house from autumn through spring, but it can bake things in the summer if its gets too much sun. I don't always guess the weather forecast corectly (or sometimes forget) and come home to an uncomfortably hot house. (No air-con, this is the UK we're talking about.) I can see value in this.
I also note that the "smart" here doesn't need to be linked up to the IoT in order to work. That also meets with my approval.
(Score: 2) by driverless on Monday July 03 2017, @08:13AM (1 child)
They're quite common in Europe, jalousies with automated control. They date back to at least the 1970s.
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Monday July 03 2017, @06:25PM
Close to what I was going to say: finally, a smart device that can't be hacked! ...except maybe with a brick.
mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org