I think we all know that as a society, we will need to move away from fossil fuels and turn towards more clean energy sources such as solar energy. The only problem with solar energy is the technology that captures the usable energy isn’t always the most attractive.
There are many that will say that appearance shouldn’t play a role in our decision to move to alternative energy sources but the reality is that many businesses would be reluctant to rent or lease real estate that doesn’t have an attractive store front as that could potentially drive away prospective customers.
In that regards, the Center for Architecture Science and Ecology (CASE) may have a solution. Their development called Dynamic Solar Facade consists of a glass front with pyramid shaped concentrators. The concentrators are able to capture light, magnify it by up to 500 times and then redirect it to solar cells.
The Dynamic Solar Facade is said to have a 60-80% efficiency ratio, utilizing not just the sunlight but also making use of the heat generated by the sun which is captured with a heatsink and later used to heat water within the building itself.
Right now, this solar technology is still years away from commercialization but according to estimates, sunny cities such as Phoenix could recoup their initial cost of such a device within 2.5 years whereas rainy cities such as Seattle may take somewhat longer, perhaps 7 years.
Via: New York Times, Inhabitat
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