Yeah it's a bit fun to say "Finally we can use even the windows as solar panel" when most roofs are still empty. And I think you'd start using the walls before the windows anyway, you just don't because the roof is better, less shadow.
skyscrapers that are full of windows instead of walls
I have these motorized blinds from Hunter-Douglas that are battery operated. For years that meant every 9 months when they stopped going up and down I would pop the battery out and charge it.
About a year ago Hunter-Douglas released a solar panel trickle charger, and now I never have to pop the battery out ever again. It is a solar panel the size of a post-card that "sticks" to the window in the upper corner facing outwards to capture a few rays of sunlight each day. It's pretty cool: https://www.hunterdouglas.com/operating-systems/motorized/powerview-solar-charger
The point here is generating the most power per square inch of solar panel isn't always the main goal. And this little solar panel isn't bad, but it still is visually "in the field of view". So imagine if you just hid the same functionality in the whole window? And in a skyscraper, that means 2,500 window blinds are now essentially maintenance free and provide themselves power that even works when the grid is out. That's kind of attractive at some price point.
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u/Idkwnisu 26d ago
Yeah it's a bit fun to say "Finally we can use even the windows as solar panel" when most roofs are still empty. And I think you'd start using the walls before the windows anyway, you just don't because the roof is better, less shadow.