Car manufacturers, in most cases, are not limited to designing and producing their four-wheeled vehicles. They also have R&D departments that try to develop all kinds of solutions in the field of mobility. They even jump to other aspects of life, as is the case with the product we are talking about today. Why Toyota? Toyota works on solar panels with eye-catching designs and really compact. So much so, that they could be added to all kinds of everyday objects.
We are used to solar energy being collected through large, dark-colored panels, but the truth is that there is a lot of potential in its acquisition. The Japanese firm wants to forget about those boring panels and create all kinds of designs and patterns. In fact, there are some as striking as the camouflage one, another that replicates the wood and others with various color combinations. They are heavily thinking of Japan, which has a goal of national carbon neutrality by 2050 and would need to double its solar energy production by 2030.
As their available territory is very limited and they cannot create large solar plants, it has occurred to Toyota that with these designs private users will be more likely to install panels in their houses. They do not break the aesthetics as much as the traditional ones in black and other uses are also being investigated, such as in clothing or in the cars themselves. The brand has achieved its development using technologies applied in the production of their cars. Because painting the solar panels used to have the problem that it partially blocked the sunlight and got less energy.
However, with a solution similar to that used in car paint, it is possible to take advantage of all the energy from the sun. some are created thin decorative films above the panel, which are made with special paint pigments, managing to reflect specific colors and allowing the rest of the light to penetrate. Toyota is already testing this new technology and has received recognition from the scientific community.
With an eye on Japan, these solar panels could eliminate power outages that suffer in the event of an earthquake, since they can function without interruptions. It is also physically possible for them to increase the range of electric cars, it would only be necessary for them to better adapt to the irregularities of their bodies. Not to mention one possible application on clothing, for example of operators who work in the sun and who can feed the energy of some integrated fans. In any case, they are still in the development phase and work must continue to reduce costs and make them viable.
Source: Toyota Times
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