Smart windows store sun’s energy [View all]

[handmade34]

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2012/06/smart-windows-store-sun-energy

"Scientists in China have developed a smart window that not only heats and cools a building, but can also act as an energy storage device to power electrical equipment within the building.

Smart windows are already in use in some buildings; they are used to reduce energy consumption by keeping the interiors cool and controlling the light levels within. An example of this is in museums, where artifacts could be damaged by too much sunlight.

Now, Zhixiang Wei from the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology and colleagues have made a window that combines a supercapacitor with an electrochromic window pane that changes colour. In bright sunlight, it absorbs and stores energy, but when it is full to capacity, the window darkens to limit the amount of light that enters..."