Solar Window Blinds

[stick n move]

Just saw this, this is such a good idea. Instead of trying to do the stupid solar panels on the roof thing they can cover the entire building. This is game changing. Not only does closing blinds help efficiency by blocking heat from entering the building, but when they're closed they're also producing electricity.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1170840477/solargaps-smart-solar-blinds

 

[DominusNovus]

Its only game changing if the blinds are cheap enough for both production and consumer. Otherwise, its just a way for people to act like they’re making a difference.

 

[Scott]

It interests me but I wouldn't make a huge investment until I got some feedback on the physical quality of the product. I would want to know how much power it could generate with a simple indoor installation before I spend money buying a battery or I start drilling holes for an external installation.

Right now my electric bill is $50 a month, a small unit is $600. If I could half my electric bill it would pay off in 2 years. Meanwhile I will have a small internal battery that (going on faith) could be useful if the power goes out.

However the company could fold moments after cashing my check and I get nothing

 

[JeffDowntown]

OK folks -- practicality considerations.

Each blind is producing DC current, incompatible with the AC electric grid.

So, you either need to run a separate DC collection bus to every friggin window in the building -- a complete separate power grid for the building.

OR -- each window needs its own (expensive) DC to AC conversion electronics and frequency synchronizer, to feed the electricity locally into the building AC wiring, near the window.

Rooftop solar are located close to each other, so they have a snap together DC collection grid, and share common DC to AC conversion electronics (larger scale, so more efficient).

In solar PV, "balance of plant" (the part that is not the solar cell: interconnects, mounting, conversion electronics) is roughly 60% of the cost.

Also, these are not going to be terribly efficient power generators. They are behind the glass (likely tinted to reduce solar energy). The angle is not optimal for light capture (depending on how closed they are, time of day, time of year, how much light you want to let through...). The amount of area available depends on the amount of glass on the building. They might produce enough electricity to locally operate the blind.

 

[elemenoh]

This is one of those products that seems nifty, but then you dig into it... the Kickstarter price was $85 for a blind and now they're selling them for $250 each. But they're not in production yet, and a recent update they posted said they're having trouble sourcing the panels.

It also appear that they need to be installed on the *outside* of the building so there's no hope for their original market of "renters". I could never get permission to put these on the outside of my building! (And how do you get the wiring into an apartment if they're external to the window?)

I'd expect the company either to go under or get acquired by a solar manufacturer (if the underlying tech is patented and there's a viable commercial market for the product).