How Basic Materials Research is Building an Ubiquitous Energy Future
Imagine a world where every surface around you—your windows, your phone screen, even your clothing—silently harnesses the power of the sun without changing its appearance or function.
This isn't science fiction; it's the emerging reality of ubiquitous energy, a concept where energy generation becomes seamlessly integrated into our everyday environment. At its heart lies a revolutionary idea: rather than adding solar technology to structures, we can make the materials themselves power generators 5 .
Moving away from centralized systems toward distributed generation woven into our environment.
Reducing carbon footprint while meeting growing global energy demands 5 .
With global energy consumption projected to rise by 28% by 2040 and the urgent need to transition away from fossil fuels, ubiquitous energy offers a pathway to resilient power systems.
Traditional solar panels appear black because they absorb the full spectrum of visible light—but what if we could redesign them to be invisible?
This seeming paradox has been solved through materials that selectively harvest different light wavelengths. Companies like Ubiquitous Energy have developed transparent solar cells that allow visible light to pass through unchanged while capturing invisible ultraviolet and near-infrared light to generate electricity 1 4 .
The magic lies in proprietary organic semiconductor materials—specially engineered molecules that can be deposited in thin layers on glass surfaces 4 6 .
Parallel to transparent photovoltaics, another materials revolution is underway: creating ultralight, flexible solar fabrics that can be deployed on virtually any surface.
Researchers at MIT have developed solar cells so lightweight they can rest on a soap bubble without popping it, yet robust enough to generate substantial power 3 .
The secret lies in a novel printing technique using electronic inks, where layers of electronic nanomaterials are printed onto a releasable substrate just 3 microns thick 3 .
In 2022, Ubiquitous Energy achieved a critical milestone by demonstrating the first successful large-area coating of transparent solar technology on 1.5-meter-wide glass sheets—the standard size used in commercial construction 8 .
The process employed vacuum physical vapor deposition (PVD)—the same industrial coating method already used by global manufacturers to produce billions of square feet of architectural glass annually 8 .
Glass sheets were meticulously cleaned and prepared for perfect adhesion.
Glass loaded into specialized PVD coating chamber with controlled environment.
Multiple layers of organic semiconductor materials deposited with precision.
Near-perfect uniformity (within 1-2% tolerance) across the entire 1.5-meter width 8 .
Coated glass incorporated into standard window units using conventional processes.
The experiment yielded compelling results that demonstrated both commercial viability and performance potential.
| Parameter | Laboratory Scale | Large-Area Coating |
|---|---|---|
| Efficiency | 9.8% (record) 2 | 7-10% (expected production) 2 |
| Transparency | >70% visible light transmission | Visually indistinguishable from traditional glass 1 |
| Thickness | Laboratory scale | ~1 micrometer 4 |
| Power Generation | Small area measurements | Up to 1 kWh/day per 1.5x3m window 8 |
By blocking infrared light, the windows naturally reduced solar heat gain, potentially lowering air conditioning costs—a feature that makes them valuable even in suboptimal sunlight conditions 6 .
The revolution in ubiquitous energy doesn't rely on a single miracle material but rather on precisely engineered combinations of specialized substances.
| Material Category | Specific Examples | Function and Properties |
|---|---|---|
| Organic Semiconductors | Proprietary small molecules, oligomers | Light absorption, charge generation; tunable to specific light wavelengths 1 2 |
| Transparent Electrodes | Metal oxides, nanowires | Charge collection and transport while maintaining transparency; enable electricity extraction 4 |
| Substrates | Dyneema fabric, ultra-thin polymers | Lightweight, flexible support material; enables integration onto diverse surfaces 3 |
| Electronic Inks | Custom-formulated nanomaterials | Printable semiconductors; enable roll-to-roll manufacturing and novel form factors 3 |
| Encapsulation Materials | Advanced polymers, specialized glass | Protection from environmental degradation; ensure long-term stability and performance 9 |
The organic semiconductors developed by Ubiquitous Energy are designed using a combination of quantum chemical calculations and custom-developed artificial intelligence models to predict their performance before synthesis ever begins 1 .
This computational approach dramatically accelerates the discovery process, allowing researchers to screen thousands of potential molecules virtually before selecting the most promising candidates for laboratory testing.
The electronic inks used in MIT's ultralight solar fabrics represent sophisticated mixtures of nanomaterials engineered for specific electronic properties while maintaining printability.
The development of these inks requires careful balancing of multiple material properties—electrical conductivity, light absorption, environmental stability, and mechanical flexibility—all while ensuring they can be manufactured at scales that make ubiquitous deployment economically feasible 3 .
While transparent solar windows represent the most immediate application, the potential uses for ubiquitous energy technologies extend far beyond architectural glass.
Researchers envision integrating similar technology into vehicle surfaces, potentially powering electric cars while parked or even while driving 4 . The same principles could be applied to greenhouse glass, allowing year-round crop production while powering climate control systems 4 6 .
Despite exciting progress, significant research challenges remain before ubiquitous energy achieves its full potential.
Critical hurdle for organic materials that must maintain performance through decades of exposure.
Translating laboratory successes to high-volume production requires additional engineering innovations.
How to best harvest, manage, and utilize distributed energy generated across countless surfaces.
| Challenge Area | Specific Hurdles | Ongoing Research Approaches |
|---|---|---|
| Efficiency | Lower than traditional solar panels | Novel material combinations, multi-junction architectures |
| Stability | Long-term performance degradation | Improved encapsulation, more stable organic materials |
| Manufacturing | Scaling while maintaining uniformity and yield | Adaptation of existing industrial coating equipment 8 |
| Integration | Wiring, energy management, storage | Local DC networks, building-integrated storage |
| Economics | Higher initial cost than conventional alternatives | Lifetime cost analysis, value-added features |
The quest for ubiquitous energy represents more than just technical innovation—it embodies a fundamental reimagining of our relationship with energy generation.
By integrating power harvesting into the ordinary surfaces that already surround us, we eliminate the tradeoff between sustainability and aesthetics, between functionality and environmental responsibility.
The advances in materials science—from selectively absorbing organic semiconductors to printable electronic inks—are making this vision increasingly attainable.
Power generation without visual impact
Seamlessly woven into everyday objects
Clean energy from existing surfaces
The ultimate success of ubiquitous energy will come when we no longer notice it—when power-generating surfaces become so ordinary that we forget they're anything but standard.
The revolution won't be visible—and that's precisely what makes it so powerful.