Solar glass

The first commercial installation of solar glass has been built in Australia, in a shopping centre in Western Australia:

Perth-based building-integrated solar PV company ClearVue Technologies has notched up another key milestone, with the completion of its first commercial demonstration – a solar glass atrium at the entrance to a suburban Perth shopping centre.

The ASX-listed company said late last month that the solar atrium at the Warwick Grove Shopping Centre, made out of ClearVue’s transparent solar glass, would be used alongside battery storage to power lighting, signage and a display screen at the retail outlet.

Just how much energy the solar atrium is expected to generate was not specified, but ClearVue said the display screen inside the centre would provide up to date data on the amount of power generated, energy saved, and carbon emissions offset by the solar glass. 

[From RenewEconomy]

My guess is that it will generate less electricity than a conventional solar panel, because it needs to let some of the light through into the building.  But imagine buildings with solar glass windows and solar roof-tiles.