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Will We See Solar Paint In Our Lifetime?

2.4K views 14 replies 7 participants last post by  getrex  
#1 ·


You might wonder what painting has to do with solar power and the answer is everything. Until recently, the primary solar goal of painters has been to minimize the heat absorption from the sun’s rays. But a new scientific advance has shattered this old standby. Instead of reflecting energy, new paint will actually produce it. While paint that harnesses solar power isn’t slated for commercial availability at any point in the next five years, painters need to be prepared. Painters May Soon Join the Solar Revolution
Do you think we will actually see solar paint in our lifetime?
 
#3 ·
It's closer than you think! 5-10 years i'd say for commercial projects. Think about it. A 30 or 40 story high rise completely painted with a paint that is a solar panel. Think about every building in New York city painted with a solar panel. That is what you should be asking about! The paint itself is very close. Getting it into large scale use will be the hard part.
 
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#4 ·
It's closer than you think! 5-10 years i'd say for commercial projects. Think about it. A 30 or 40 story high rise completely painted with a paint that is a solar panel. Think about every building in New York city painted with a solar panel. That is what you should be asking about! The paint itself is very close. Getting it into large scale use will be the hard part.
That shouldn't be a problem if they distribute through the big box stores.
 
#10 · (Edited)
NASA has been using electric power converting coatings for many, many years on the deep space probes. Of course it has been pretty top secret stuff though! But conductive coatings are actually pretty common. Most of the computers and i-pads have a conductive coating somewhere. It's is a pretty small step to get to a coating that actually generates electric current, but I am not 100% sure how it would be accomplished. Maybe a quartz crystal in the pigment along with some silver or nickel? Iridium pigment maybe?

Aha! Tourmaline crystals can generate electric current when they are heated. Tourmaline pigment with silver or nickel would work to a certain extent. Not a high enough electric generation to justify the expense but it can be done.