Blood Based Solar Power Cell Breakthrough

What will this do to consumer electricity demand from the grid?

"Researchers from the Nanomaterials Research Centre at Massey University in New Zealand have developed synthetic dyes that can be used to generate electricity at one tenth of the cost of current silicon-based solar panels. These photosynthesis-like compounds work in low-light conditions and can be cheaply incorporated into window-panes and building materials, thereby turning them into generators of electricity." /

SOURCE

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[edit on 7-4-2007 by greatlakes]

So where does the blood come to play in all this?

Did you read the article?

New solar cells developed by Massey University don't need direct sunlight to operate and use a patented range of dyes that can be impregnated in roofs, window glass and eventually even clothing to produce power.

And some of these dyes that are being tested and used for these new solar cells are from Hemoglobin here:

Other dyes being tested in the cells are based on haemoglobin, the compound that gives blood its colour.

Pretty neat technology, I just wonder if used as dual purpose window tinting and power generation, just how translucent or opaque the windows would be? hmmm

[edit on 7-4-2007 by greatlakes]

Oh actually i just read that big bolded part op there b/c i fugured it would contain the crux of th story.

Yeah sounds crazy doesn't it? Sometimes truth is stranger than...

This company has pegged a timeline that is very short for the product rollout, looks like 1-2 years. This makes me think that the technology really is 'real' and not just another one of these false or pie in the sky technologies.