"By Jill Clayton"Wysips, the abbreviation for "What you see is photovoltaic surface," is a transparent layer that can be used to generate power and charge the battery of the device in which it lies. One idea French solar energy experts at SunPartner have is to use Wysips as a battery charger for mobile phones. The see-through material, composed of micro-lenses and photovoltaic materials, can be installed beneath the screen of mobiles, built into add-on chargers, used in building windows, and in the future may even power watches, tablets, and laptops.SunPartner has already put money into a plant to start producing its Wysips technology, and the company hopes to incorporate the Wysips component into Smartphones by the end of 2013. Mobile phones have utilized forms of photovoltaic panels in the past, but in this case the lens technology of Wysips allows for the touchscreen display itself to house the solar cells. The wafer thin and flexible technology is 90% transparent, a maximum of.5mm thick, and is virtually undetectable.The Wysips technology essentially turns any surface into its own powering device. It does so by allowing light, both natural and artificial, to pass through semi-cylindrical lenses onto photovoltaic cells. The lenses and their shape are designed for optimal light capture, while also keeping the layer invisible to the naked eye and increasing the viewing angle of the screen. The idea behind Wysips and how it came to be stems from holographic images where the image changes depending on the viewing angle. This concept evolved so that lenses would be used to concentrate light onto solar cells located on thin strips between the image strips. That way the image could be seen from one angle and the solar panel from another. Also, because the Wysips film is located below the glass screen, the technology does not interfere with normal touchscreen activities on Smartphones. While the technology is about 10% efficient and will not act as a complete substitute for a Smartphone battery, it should help to extend the phone's battery-life substantially. In addition to mobile devices, Wysips technology can also be added to windows in buildings, as well as automobiles. The window glass, equipped with Wysips, could then produce enough energy to power electrically-charged devices connected to the window, such as blinds, awnings, vents, and power sockets. The thin material currently delivers 30 watts of peak output per square meter, a number the solar experts at SunPower hope to double by the end of the year.
Jill Clayton is the Country Manager for the U.S. and U.K. Divisions of SolarContact.com, an online marketing company that focuses on solar energy. Jill received her Juris Doctor degree in International Law at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and then went on to pursue her Masters in Law and Business in Hamburg, Germany. She is currently still living in Hamburg, where she works full-time on social media activities and as an energy blogger for SolarContact.
