COLUMBIA, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–New Energy Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: NENE) today announced that scientists developing the Company’s novel SolarWindow™ technology, capable of generating electricity on see-thru glass windows, have achieved an important research breakthrough which could result in the replacement of materials prone to breakdown and degradation. Successful integration of the Company’s newly-discovered compounds could lead to improved efficiency, lower production costs and enhanced future commercial manufacturability of SolarWindow™.
“Early-on, we focused on developing electricity-generating coatings which remain transparent and can be applied onto glass surfaces at room-temperature. These goals were successfully achieved by our researchers and publicly demonstrated late last year”
“Early-on, we focused on developing electricity-generating coatings which remain transparent and can be applied onto glass surfaces at room-temperature. These goals were successfully achieved by our researchers and publicly demonstrated late last year,” explained Mr. John A. Conklin, President and CEO of New Energy Technologies, Inc. “This year, our sights are set on commercial product development targets, such as power output, efficiency, durability, reliability, cost, and manufacturability.”
Researchers are also working towards the replacement of brittle and expensive materials commonly used for generating electricity on SolarWindow™ with easier to handle, low-cost liquid compounds.
New Energy’s replacement compounds support one of the most important functions for generating electricity on glass surfaces of SolarWindow™, namely, the movement of electrons. This ‘flow’ of electrons (negatively charged particles) is fundamental to generating electric ‘current’, necessary for powering appliances and fixtures.
During ongoing development testing, these new compounds have been shown to successfully ‘mobilize’ the electrons necessary for generating electricity on SolarWindow™ prototypes. Notably, scientists have produced these solution-based compounds without the use of expensive starting materials, and have discovered methods which allow for high reproducibility.
Unlike conventional materials used for generating electricity on organic solar cells, New Energy’s liquid compounds, currently under development by scientists, remain see-thru, are easy to handle, and can be applied at room temperature and without the use of high-vacuum — all important attributes to support commercial manufacturing.
“Today’s announcement marks an important achievement. Each new milestone we accomplish during research and development, and prototype fabrication, brings us one step closer to commercialization of our SolarWindow™ technology,” Mr. Conklin concluded.