After decades of research and development solar power still doesn't pencil out for many home and business owners. Could a thin, transparent solar cell invented by scientists at UCLA change that equation?
a transparent solar cell made out of plastic by a team of scientists lead by Yang Yang, a professor at UCLA and director of the Nano
Renewable Energy Center at California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI). As a result of their invention, notes Netburn, "In the future, solar panels will no longer be restricted to the roof. You'll be able to put them on your windows too."
According to Netburn, "There is a catch, of course: Transparent solar cells are not nearly
as efficient as opaque ones. Yang said that by solving the visibility
problem, 30% of a cell's energy-absorbing capability had to be
sacrificed."
What the cells lose in efficiency, they can hopefully make up for in economies of scale made possible by reduced cost and ease of installation. "The good news is that the process is very economical,
and the material can be fabricated as a liquid that can be sprayed on a
surface, much in the same way that car factories spray paint onto
automobiles."
The product may be ready for commercial use in 5 years.
FULL STORY: Transparent solar cells let windows generate electricity

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
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