Table of Contents
Transparent Solar Panels – The Future of Urban Solar?
Written by: Briain Kelly
Published: November 11, 2025
Last updated: November 11, 2025
Reading time: 4 mins
Solar panels are now most often found on rooftops and in fields, with their distinctive black outline. But that may not always be the case. Transparent solar panels have the potential to be a true game changer in how electricity is generated in our cities, and countless other places besides.
What are Transparent Solar Panels?
Transparent solar panels are exactly what the name suggests, solar panels which you can see through just like a pane of ordinary glass.
They may vary in just how transparent they are and how much electricity they can produce. However, the goal of all variations of clear solar panels is to produce modules that can replace ordinary glass.
How do transparent solar panels work?
There are multiple methods for manufacturing clear solar panels, but they all have the same property of not using the visible spectrum of light.
Solar panels work by taking the energy from light and transforming it into electricity through the photovoltaic effect. The light gives energy to electrons in the solar cell, sending them along a circuit where they create an electric current.
Traditional solar PV modules rely mostly on the visible spectrum of sunlight to achieve this effect. This is what makes them opaque.
Transparent solar panels rely on the near ultraviolet and infrared parts of the spectrum to achieve the same effect, while allowing visible light to pass straight through.
To do this, many transparent solar panels in development rely on materials other than silicon for their technological bases.
There are multiple companies which offer semi-transparent panels using thin-film technologies. Materials such as Perovskite and Organic Photovoltaics are also being explored as ways to develop more efficient semi-transparent and completely clear panels.
Why are transparent solar panels useful?
Transparent solar panels would be incredibly useful because they could be installed in vast areas where we currently use normal glass windows.
There is also an aesthetic value to transparent solar panels compared to traditional PV modules. They can fit seamlessly into spaces where normal solar panels might be considered unsightly.
Development of Transparent Solar Panels
The first to develop fully transparent solar PV technology was developed by Michigan State University in 2014. Their system, called a “transparent luminescent solar concentrator”, involved transparent panels which could be fixed to existing windows.
These used organic salts to redirect ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths to strips of photovoltaic material at the edge of the panel. Visible light was allowed to pass through, creating a completely clear solar panel.
In the past decade, research and development have continued, using a variety of approaches, into developing 100% transparent and semi-transparent panels for various applications.
Semi-Transparent Solar Panels
One of the struggles with clear solar panels is balancing the need to let visible light through with generating electricity. Semi-transparent solar panels sacrifice some of their transparency in order to achieve greater efficiency.
Polysolar is a UK company that offers semi-transparent panels that offer up to 50% transparency using Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) thin-film Photovoltaic technology.
The CitySolar project, a consortium of nine higher education institutions, aims to further develop semi-transparent solar PV technology. This group is developing multi-junction solar modules which combine a perovskite layer and an organic photovoltaic layer. These will allow the solar panel to better absorb near ultraviolet and near infrared light, respectively.
This could lead to significantly increased efficiency levels in modules that can be mass produced inexpensively. Tests have already shown that solar cells made this way are able to achieve an efficiency of 12.3%.
The project is currently at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of between five and six, meaning it is between the proof-of-concept and prototype stages.
Semi-transparent panels can have a number of advantages in the right circumstances:
Reduced Glare: In situations with a lot of light, having solar panels with a degree of opacity can reduce light glare. This could be useful in spaces such as offices.
Lower Thermal Gain: Buildings with large numbers of windows can heat up drastically just from sunlight alone. Building-Integrated Photovoltaics with semi-transparent panels could help to keep buildings cool by limiting the amount of sunlight that passes through.
Higher Efficiency: Semi-transparent panels are currently able to achieve efficiencies of 5% – 15%, significantly greater than fully transparent panels.
Fully Transparent Solar Panels
Fully transparent solar panels are still further from large scale deployment, with efficiency being the greatest issue. The few totally clear solar panels manufactured so far have only reached an efficiency in the low single digits.
Application for Clear Solar Panels
Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV): Using clear solar panels into the architecture of buildings in place of traditional windows. This would be particularly useful in large buildings with lots of windows and little roof space for traditional solar panels. Skyscrapers and office buildings would be the biggest beneficiaries of this.
Solar Powered Devices: Integrating solar PV technology directly into the screens of devices such as mobile phones and computers could be a significant benefit in extending battery life.
Agri-Solar: Areas such as greenhouses, which need sunlight to reach plants, could generate their own electricity to help run the operations.
Public Spaces: Parks, bus stops, and other public spaces could use transparent panels for lighting, displays, and more without creating a visual distraction.
Challenges Facing Transparent Solar Panels
Efficiency: Normal opaque solar panels can have an efficiency level of up to 25% at the moment. In contrast, semi-transparent panels have an efficiency of 5% – 15%, while fully transparent panels are in the low single digits.
Cost: Because transparent solar panels are still an emerging technology, the cost per watt to manufacture them is still considerably greater than traditional panels.
Mass Production: Most projects for transparent and semi-transparent solar panels are still in the development phase or have only been made at a small scale. It will require a huge investment to move from this into large scale production.
That sort of shift can take years to implement. This means that it could be quite some time before we see widespread adoption of solar panels in windows.
Power Systems: It is one thing to have a window producing electricity as a solar module, another to make use of it. For solar panels to be of use, that electricity has to be transmitted to a point where it is connected to the building’s electrical grid.
For buildings with a large number of windows, this will be a significant amount of wiring. It would be an even greater challenge to retrofit older buildings which weren’t designed with this in mind.
Transparent Solar Panels – The Future of Urban Solar?
Published: November 11, 2025
Last updated: November 11, 2025
Written by: Briain Kelly
Reading time: 4mins
Solar panels are now most often found on rooftops and in fields, with their distinctive black outline. But that may not always be the case. Transparent solar panels have the potential to be a true game changer in how electricity is generated in our cities, and countless other places besides.
What are Transparent Solar Panels?
Transparent solar panels are exactly what the name suggests, solar panels which you can see through just like a pane of ordinary glass.
They may vary in just how transparent they are and how much electricity they can produce. However, the goal of all variations of clear solar panels is to produce modules that can replace ordinary glass.
How do transparent solar panels work?
There are multiple methods for manufacturing clear solar panels, but they all have the same property of not using the visible spectrum of light.
Solar panels work by taking the energy from light and transforming it into electricity through the photovoltaic effect. The light gives energy to electrons in the solar cell, sending them along a circuit where they create an electric current.
Traditional solar PV modules rely mostly on the visible spectrum of sunlight to achieve this effect. This is what makes them opaque.
Transparent solar panels rely on the near ultraviolet and infrared parts of the spectrum to achieve the same effect, while allowing visible light to pass straight through.
To do this, many transparent solar panels in development rely on materials other than silicon for their technological bases.
There are multiple companies which offer semi-transparent panels using thin-film technologies. Materials such as Perovskite and Organic Photovoltaics are also being explored as ways to develop more efficient semi-transparent and completely clear panels.
Why are transparent solar panels useful?
Transparent solar panels would be incredibly useful because they could be installed in vast areas where we currently use normal glass windows.
There is also an aesthetic value to transparent solar panels compared to traditional PV modules. They can fit seamlessly into spaces where normal solar panels might be considered unsightly.
Development of Transparent Solar Panels
The first to develop fully transparent solar PV technology was developed by Michigan State University in 2014. Their system, called a “transparent luminescent solar concentrator”, involved transparent panels which could be fixed to existing windows.
These used organic salts to redirect ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths to strips of photovoltaic material at the edge of the panel. Visible light was allowed to pass through, creating a completely clear solar panel.
In the past decade, research and development have continued, using a variety of approaches, into developing 100% transparent and semi-transparent panels for various applications.
Semi-Transparent Solar Panels
One of the struggles with clear solar panels is balancing the need to let visible light through with generating electricity. Semi-transparent solar panels sacrifice some of their transparency in order to achieve greater efficiency.
Polysolar is a UK company that offers semi-transparent panels that offer up to 50% transparency using Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) thin-film Photovoltaic technology.
The CitySolar project, a consortium of nine higher education institutions, aims to further develop semi-transparent solar PV technology. This group is developing multi-junction solar modules which combine a perovskite layer and an organic photovoltaic layer. These will allow the solar panel to better absorb near ultraviolet and near infrared light, respectively.
This could lead to significantly increased efficiency levels in modules that can be mass produced inexpensively. Tests have already shown that solar cells made this way are able to achieve an efficiency of 12.3%.
The project is currently at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of between five and six, meaning it is between the proof-of-concept and prototype stages.
Semi-transparent panels can have a number of advantages in the right circumstances:
Reduced Glare: In situations with a lot of light, having solar panels with a degree of opacity can reduce light glare. This could be useful in spaces such as offices.
Lower Thermal Gain: Buildings with large numbers of windows can heat up drastically just from sunlight alone. Building-Integrated Photovoltaics with semi-transparent panels could help to keep buildings cool by limiting the amount of sunlight that passes through.
Higher Efficiency: Semi-transparent panels are currently able to achieve efficiencies of 5% – 15%, significantly greater than fully transparent panels.
Fully Transparent Solar Panels
Fully transparent solar panels are still further from large scale deployment, with efficiency being the greatest issue. The few totally clear solar panels manufactured so far have only reached an efficiency in the low single digits.
Application for Clear Solar Panels
Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV): Using clear solar panels into the architecture of buildings in place of traditional windows. This would be particularly useful in large buildings with lots of windows and little roof space for traditional solar panels. Skyscrapers and office buildings would be the biggest beneficiaries of this.
Solar Powered Devices: Integrating solar PV technology directly into the screens of devices such as mobile phones and computers could be a significant benefit in extending battery life.
Agri-Solar: Areas such as greenhouses, which need sunlight to reach plants, could generate their own electricity to help run the operations.
Public Spaces: Parks, bus stops, and other public spaces could use transparent panels for lighting, displays, and more without creating a visual distraction.
Challenges Facing Transparent Solar Panels
Efficiency: Normal opaque solar panels can have an efficiency level of up to 25% at the moment. In contrast, semi-transparent panels have an efficiency of 5% – 15%, while fully transparent panels are in the low single digits.
Cost: Because transparent solar panels are still an emerging technology, the cost per watt to manufacture them is still considerably greater than traditional panels.
Mass Production: Most projects for transparent and semi-transparent solar panels are still in the development phase or have only been made at a small scale. It will require a huge investment to move from this into large scale production.
That sort of shift can take years to implement. This means that it could be quite some time before we see widespread adoption of solar panels in windows.
Power Systems: It is one thing to have a window producing electricity as a solar module, another to make use of it. For solar panels to be of use, that electricity has to be transmitted to a point where it is connected to the building’s electrical grid.
For buildings with a large number of windows, this will be a significant amount of wiring. It would be an even greater challenge to retrofit older buildings which weren’t designed with this in mind.
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