A research team at USF, in partnership with a Maryland company, is on the leading edge of technology that turns windows into solar panels with spray-on technology. The spray can generate energy from both natural and artificial light. Though the technology seems to be in the early stages of development, it was demonstrated at a USF event last week. Read the press release below the photo.


New Energy researchers apply world’s smallest working solar cells (highlighted as tiny dots) to see-thru flexible plastic. New Photo: Energy Technologies, Inc.

Read the entire press release about the spray-on solar technology:

BURTONSVILLE, Md. & TAMPA, Fla. - (Business Wire) New Energy Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: NENE) debuts its SolarWindow™ technology today during a demonstration at the University of South Florida (USF). This first-of-its-kind, spray-on technology is capable of transforming everyday surfaces, such as windows, into energy-generating devices using both natural and artificial light sources, outperforming today's commercial solar and thin-film technologies by as much as 10-fold under low-intensity irradiance.

“Today's public demonstration is a pivotal milestone not only for the dedicated research team, but for our external stakeholders as well, including our investors who are keenly aware of how the development of the highly-anticipated SolarWindow™ technology has the potential to create a fundamental paradigm shift in the way we produce power worldwide,” said Mr. John A. Conklin, President and CEO of New Energy Technologies, Inc.

New Energy researchers have developed a working prototype of the Company's SolarWindow™ technology in preparation for eventual full-scale production. Low production costs, improved manufacturability, and increased power performance are among important, recently announced objectives researchers are now targeting. Key to these advances is the development of new methods and technologies for applying New Energy's electricity-generating coatings to glass surfaces.

Electrical power is generated on glass when New Energy's SolarWindow™ coatings are sprayed onto surfaces using commercially available equipment. This patent-pending process enables researchers to spray SolarWindow™ coatings onto glass at room temperature, eliminating expensive and often cumbersome high-temperature or high-vacuum production methods typically used by current solar manufacturers.

Until now, most solar modules have remained opaque with the prospect of creating a see-thru glass window capable of generating electricity limited by the use of metals and various expensive processes which block visibility and prevent light from passing through glass window surfaces.

Researchers are also working to bolster the electrical power output of SolarWindow™, generated from both natural sunlight and artificial sources such as fluorescent lighting typically installed inside commercial offices and incandescent bulbs inside residential homes. Unlike conventional solar technologies, New Energy's SolarWindow™ generates electricity from both natural and artificial light sources, outperforming today's commercial solar and thin-film technologies by as much as 10-fold under low-intensity irradiance.

A small-scale prototype of SolarWindow™ will be demonstrated by USF researchers today at 2:30 p.m. at the Science Center (SCA) Board Room (411) & Research Laboratory (421). Visitors can obtain a parking permit at the Campus Information Center near the main entrance.

The demonstration will be led by Dr. Xiaomei Jiang, Inventor & Lead Researcher at the Department of Physics at the University of South Florida, whose work with small, organic solar cells helped her generate electricity on see-thru glass. Dr. Jiang will be joined at the demonstration by John A. Conklin, President and CEO of New Energy Technologies, Inc.; Valerie Landrio McDevitt, Assistant Vice President, Division of Patents and Licensing, University of South Florida, and U.S. Registered Patent Attorney; Jaideep Rajput, Patent Attorney and Senior Licensing Manager, Division of Patents and Licensing, University of South Florida; and Jason E. Lewis, Researcher & PhD Candidate, University of South Florida.

About New Energy Technologies, Inc.

New Energy Technologies, Inc., together with its wholly owned subsidiaries, is a developer of next generation alternative and renewable energy technologies. Among the Company's technologies under development are:

• MotionPower™ roadway systems for generating electricity by capturing the kinetic energy produced by moving vehicles – a patent-pending technology, the subject of nine patent applications in the United States and two international patent filings. An estimated 250 million registered vehicles drive more than six billion miles on America's roadways, every day; and
• SolarWindow™ technologies which enable see-thru windows to generate electricity by 'spraying' their glass surfaces with New Energy's electricity-generating coatings. These solar coatings are less than 1/10th the thickness of 'thin' films and make use of the world's smallest functional solar cells, shown to successfully produce electricity in a published peer-reviewed study in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy of the American Institute of Physics.

Through established relationships with universities, research institutions, and commercial partners, we strive to identify technologies and business opportunities on the leading edge of renewable energy innovation. Unique to our business model is the use of established research infrastructure owned by the various institutions we deal with, saving us significant capital which would otherwise be required for such costs as land and building acquisition, equipment and capital equipment purchases, and other startup expenses. As a result, we are able to benefit from leading edge research while employing significantly less capital than conventional organizations.

About University of South Florida

The University of South Florida is one of the nation's top 63 public research universities and one of only 25 public research universities nationwide with very high research activity that is designated as community engaged by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. USF was awarded $394.1 million in research contracts and grants in FY 2009/2010. The university offers 232-degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate, specialist and doctoral levels, including the doctor of medicine. The USF System has a $1.8 billion annual budget, an annual economic impact of $3.2 billion, and serves more than 47,000 students on institutions/campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and Lakeland. USF is a member of the Big East Athletic Conference.