Tuesday, July 23, 2013: Sharp Corp. is all set to roll out see-through solar panels on 31 July that can produce electricity while being used as window panes, wall exteriors, door awnings or barriers on balconies, said a company release.
As reported by ajw.asahi.com, the panels can be put up instead of glass in multiple places at apartment buildings and commercial structures in order to make an efficient use of space to produce electricity, said Sharp officials.
The semi-transparent nature of panels was made possible via small cuts in the solar cells that convert sunlight into electricity. The new panels are 100 centimeters high, and are available in three widths: 70 cm, 115 cm and 140 cm. Sharp selected width size considering the average size of common balconies and windows, told the officials.
Sharp also told that the company will make two kinds of panels- a less transparent one that can produce power and a more transparent one that can produce lower amount of electricity.
While the maximum output of the 70-cm-wide panel will be between 39 to 46 watts, the 115-cm-wide panel can produce 66 to 77 watts. However, the 140-cm-wide panel can generate 80 to 95 watts of solar power.
The new solar panel will be priced between 200,000 yen ($2,000) and 250,000 yen per square meter.
