The appearance of blocky black solar panels hasn't changed much at all in the last several years, and in the case of many buildings and roofs, they can really cramp your style.
Fraunhofer ISE, a German research institute focused on solar energy systems, may have an aesthetically pleasing solution. Its ShadeCut tech lets you apply colored film on to solar panels while allowing them to maintain up to 95% of their power output.
"Modules with ShadeCut can look like masonry or roof tiles and blend in perfectly in terms of color," said Dr. Martin Heinrich, who leads integration of photovoltaics at the institute.. "It also allows for the customization of PV systems, for example with logo lettering or patterns." He added that this could be especially useful in outfitting the solar panels on facades, roofs, and even railings of historic buildings without detracting from their appearance.
Complex patterns, colors with different effects, and even multilayered designs can be applied directly onto solar modules.
It's based on Fraunhofer's own MorphoColor coating technology, which a team from the institute presented in a paper that appeared in IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics back in 2021. MorphoColor almost entirely avoids reducing the efficiency of solar panels by using a highly selective design that lets most sunlight pass through. The coating is engineered to reflect only a very narrow range of light (the specific color you see). It's so narrow that it allows a lot of light to pass through to the solar cells.
A phenomenon called "destructive interference" is at play in this coating. Here, the layers of the thin-film stack in the material are precisely measured so that unwanted reflections – which would normally waste energy – are cancelled out by the light waves bumping into each other, leaving more energy for the panel to collect. Special "transition" layers prevent light from bouncing around; this reduces reflection losses and ensures the light moves straight to the solar cells.
Plus, unlike traditional methods of coloring panels that often use 'diffusing foils' that scatter light everywhere and cause power losses of up to 50%, MorphoColor uses a precise 3D photonic structure on the glass surface designed specifically for high transmission.
The tech has also been adapted to create a film that can be applied on existing panels, and it can be laser cut to depict all kinds of designs and intricate patterns with precision.
Hopefully, we'll soon see ShadeCut commercialized and made widely available. That could allow for the beautification of buildings and infrastructure like bus shelters, freeway overpasses, and airport terminals that can have solar panels installed.
Source: Fraunhofer ISE
