When you think of solar energy, you might think of large, black solar panels installed on rooftops. What if we could generate electricity using invisible light passing through your windows?

“Solar windows” do exactly that. Solar windows, a product of sustainable infrastructure studies, are seen as the power generation systems of the future.

Developed by researchers at MIT, this new technology was developed by the Ubiquitous Energy company and is called UE Power. Ubiquitous Energy says it manufactures completely transparent Solar panels that can be used as window panes, replacing traditional windows and generating energy.

Conventional solar panels are designed to capture every single photon of sunlight falling on their surface. But UE Power captures invisible light, especially ultraviolet and infrared waves, while allowing visible photons to pass through the glass. This invisible light is then converted into electricity. Like a standard solar, it transmits electricity through a small wire that comes out of the window and connects to the building’s wiring. The result is glass that looks like a normal window but can generate electricity.

Susan Stone, CEO of Ubiquitous Energy, says, “The benefit of Transparent Solar panel technology is that we can embed the Solar technology into an already existing product.

The company has deployed transparent Solar panels in 12 pilot installations, including Michigan State University and its headquarters in Redwood, California. The panels are still small, measuring roughly 14 x 20 inches. But the company is working on plans to build its own manufacturing facility. Here, it is aimed to produce solar glass panels that can reach from floor to ceiling for commercial applications. In the short term, homes and office buildings will be able to start producing their own energy.

The company is also working on developments that will generate electricity in mobile phones or parked cars.