ClearView Power is the world’s first see-through solar panel, developed by Ubiquitous Energy, a company based in Silicon Valley started by a group of MIT graduates.

Smartphones today have an increasing problem with battery life, with the industry releasing new technologies, faster and more capable operating systems, a new wave of mobile processors, and the battery manufacturers not being able to catch up with how fast the change is going, many smartphone manufacturers are trying to look for new solutions to provide better products.

The company is producing highly transparent, efficient solar cell coatings made with organic materials. It works when the cells soak up photons from the sun’s light to produce electric energy. It looks transparent because the film has been developed to only absorb infrared rays and ultraviolet rays, which are invisible to the human eye, letting pass 90% of the light. It doubles this energy by acting as an organic semiconductor, when the photons hit the surface, they excite the current electrons in the coating, making them flow as an electrical current to power the device.

Prototypes of the ClearView Power are being used to cover the display area of electronic products such as tablets, smartphones and portables gaming devices with the goal of purely recharging them by just exposing them to solar light. The product is also destined to use as a main power resource for cars, buildings, houses and smart glasses. The coating can also be applied on several other objects, making every surface capable of creating energy.

As stated by Miles Barr, CEO of Ubiquitous Energy:

“You can put the coating on anything and turn it into an electrical source”

Barr states that when the project is mature enough it will be able to convert solar energy into electricity with a 10% efficiency, being two thirds of the standard industry average, without counting the fact that the rest of the light coming through the glass can also be used for heating systems, rendering the ClearView Power with more utility than other standard solar panels.

The company showcased the ClearView Power in the Display Week 2015, held in San Jose, California, winning the Innovation Zone Award.