The development of transparent solar panels typically proceeds in two ways. The first is to make solar cells using extremely thin films on the nanometer scale, which means that when you reduce the thickness of some materials, the transparency of the materials increases. Another approach is to use transparent materials that naturally allow visible light to pass through while absorbing light in the ultraviolet (UV) and near-infrared (NIR) spectrum, which can then be used to generate electricity.

But the technology is difficult to manufacture and involves several challenges that must be balanced to create a workable design. These include:

Find suitable materials that allow the transmission of photons in the visible spectrum while absorbing photons in the invisible spectrum, especially infrared and ultraviolet.

These materials are manufactured in a way that achieves high transparency without sacrificing efficiency. Most efficient TSC technologies still have very low efficiencies compared to conventional silicon-based solar cells.

Design fabrication methods that are economical in large-scale production and in laboratory settings.

Design the architecture of the TSC, in other words how to effectively apply and arrange the above materials to create the physical unit and protect the substrate.

For organic-based solar cells, their stability over long periods of time is also a potential problem. By being exposed to high temperatures, oxygen, and water vapor in the environment, most OPVs do not offer the same lifetime warranty as silicon PV, which is an obvious disadvantage. However, further studies are needed to determine the long-term degradation of organic solar cells.

Jiaxing Fuying Composite Materials Co., Ltd. is a PV Solar Panel Factory in China. The company sells PVB Film and BIPV solar panels.