Swiss Inventor Creates Photosynthetic Windows

wiss inventor, Michael Gratzel, created a low-costenergy source that creates energy similar to plants and will most likely be used in windows to conserve costs.

Michael Gratzel of the Lausanne Federal Technology Institute recently won the Millennium Technology Award for his Gratzel Cell solar energy panels and promises to use the prize of nearly $1 million to continue research on how to better produce these cells.

The Gratzel Cell uses nanotechnology to capture light on all sides. Because of the small size of the nanocrystal cells, there is little to no scattering of light, meaning more energy is harnessed. Since the cells are able to capture light on all sides, they would be storing energy collected from both outside and inside a building.

This latest invention will most likely revolutionize low-cost energy solutions, and Gratzel dreams of one day seeing his cells on high-rise New York buildings.

With inspiration coming from the way plants gather sunlight and use it to create simple sugars, Gratzel Cells take that same concept and apply it to collecting energy from the sun and converting it to renewable energy.

Gratzel Cells are already seen in a few consumer products, such as a backpack that will charge batteries, and with the prize money from the Millennium Technology Award, Gratzel is ready to pump that money right back into his research in order to improve his technology.

Written by: Chris Esparza

http://www.huliq.com/10010/swiss-inventor-creates-photosynthetic-windows

Source: BBC News