TURN YOUR SMARTPHONE INTO A SOLAR PANEL

Instead of searching for an outlet to keep your phone alive, what if all you needed was some sunshine? An MIT startup has created a transparent coating that transforms surfaces into solar panels.

The Trick

Typically solar panels soak up photons from the sun’s rays and convert them into electricity. The panels tend to be dark, because the darker a material, the more visible light it absorbs. The idea of transparent panels would usually get dismissed because they don’t, by definition, absorb any visible light—it just passes right through them.

The Tech

Ubiquitous Energy, a spinoff of MIT, has created a coating…READ MORE