One of the most interesting updates in the solar energy space comes from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (via EES Solar), where researchers have developed 3D-printed, semi-transparent, flexible perovskite solar cells with adjustable color and transparency.
Traditionally, solar panels are either blue, dark gray, or black, depending on the type of panel and the materials used to make them. While that uniform look works well on rooftops where nobody really sees them, visible solar installations often fail to complement architecture or design. This issue affects urban residents not just in the United States, but across the globe.
Solar cells, by nature, are more functional; they were never designed with aesthetics in mind. That, however, is precisely what the scientists in Israel are trying to change. They’re reimagining solar technology so it blends seamlessly with modern buildings, complements overall design, or even enhances how our homes and cities look.
How scientists are rethinking solar panels as design elements
At the center of the breakthrough are perovskite solar cells, known for their strong light-absorption and energy-conversion properties. While traditional solar panels use flat sheets of the material, researchers have instead 3D-printed perovskite into microscopic vertical pillars (imagine a pine forest, except the trees are made of energy-absorbing material).
By adjusting the height, spacing, and density of these pillars, researchers can control how much light passes through the gaps, effectively tuning the cells’ transparency. At the same time, the microscopic arrangement absorbs and reflects specific wavelengths of light, giving the solar cells a perceptible color.
Because the solar layer isn’t a flat sheet, it can also bend without cracking, making the material flexible. This unlocks entirely new use cases. The cells can be printed directly onto windows, curved walls, façades, and other non-flat surfaces, while still producing electricity.
Better yet, their appearance can be tweaked to match a building’s overall aesthetic, or even seasonal décor, if you’re feeling festive. It’s easy to imagine this technology finding a home in residential buildings, offices, luxury hotels, and other spaces where glass is already a key architectural element.
Could it also be printed on car windows and used to power a small battery that can charge a phone? Possibly. It also means you may no longer need to mount bulky, visually intrusive solar panels on your roof, as your windows themselves could quietly contribute to your home’s energy needs.
In other words, this is a material that absorbs light and generates electricity while behaving like a design element.
Tests show that the flexible solar material can achieve up to 9.2% of a power conversion efficiency while maintaining an average visible transparency of about 35%. Further, the vertically arranged perovskite cells have maintained stable structural and performance characteristics during extended operation, even after repeated flexing.
Despite the promising numbers, the efficiency must catch up with that of traditional panels for companies to convince buyers to have it installed at their locations. The team is already working to improve the material’s long-term durability to prepare it for commercial use. Once those hurdles are cleared, the technology could move from labs to city skylines.