Transparent solar glass installed at Michigan State University's Biomedical and Physical Sciences Building, developed with technology from MSU's Lunt Research Group. Photo: Nick Schrader / Michigan State University. Illustrative image, not a figure from this paper.
What transparent photovoltaic (TPV) technologies have been reported since 2007, and how do they compare in transparency, electrical performance, materials, and manufacturing method, for technologies achieving at least 20% average visible light transmission?
FindingsThe review identifies roughly nine distinct transparent photovoltaic technology approaches under active development — spanning thin-film, organic, and luminescent-concentrator methods, among others — and evaluates each on the central trade-off between transparency and electrical performance. The authors frame transparent photovoltaics as a response to a specific architectural constraint: conventional opaque solar panels require dedicated roof or land area, while ordinary window and facade glass could double as a power-generating surface without that additional space requirement.
LimitationsAs a review rather than original experimental research, the paper synthesizes reported performance figures from many different research groups' technologies rather than independently verifying them under standardized test conditions — a limitation the broader research area, including Richard Lunt's later 2019 paper on standardized TPV reporting practices, has continued to grapple with.
Living Cities RelevanceThe most directly on-topic peer-reviewed source for The Living Cities' Explore article on transparent photovoltaic glazing — provides the comparative technology landscape (semi-transparent thin-film, TLSC, perovskite, organic PV, and others) the article draws on.
