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Energy Technologies Area (ETA) researchers are continually building on the strong scientific foundation we have developed over the past 50 years. We address the world’s most pressing climate challenges by bringing to market energy-efficient innovations across the buildings, transportation, and industrial sectors. ETA is at the forefront of developing better batteries for electric vehicles; improving the country's aging electrical grid and innovating distributed energy and storage solutions; developing grid-interactive, efficient buildings; and providing the most comprehensive market and data analysis worldwide for renewable technologies like wind and solar.
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The Energy Technologies Area (ETA) is unique in translating fundamental scientific discoveries into scalable technology adoption. Our approach combines an understanding of the marketplace and the role of state and federal regulation and policies. ETA's research drives real-world, practical results that affect and improve the everyday lives of Americans and those across the globe. Saving energy and battling the Climate Crisis are key to the foundation of our research, which is driven by technoeconomic analysis and in-lab experimentation and discovery.

Advanced Optical Materials for Energy Efficiency and Solar Conversion

Publication Type

Journal Article

Authors

Abstract

Materials science properties of optical materials and coatings are discussed for a broad range of solar conversion, architectural glazings and greenhouse energy efficient uses. Transparent low emittance coatings for glazings are discussed for radiative heat transfer reduction. Both interference multilayer and doped semiconductor low emittance coatings are covered. The use of Drude theory to model coatings is discussed. Discussion of various types of selective absorbers include interference multilayer, composite tandem absorbers and selective paints. Effective medium theories are used to describe composite absorbers. The basic properties of radiative cooling materials and antireflection coatings are detailed. Also, the properties of reflector malerials on glass and plastics are covered. Application of fluorescent concentrators, spectral splitting and cold mirror films are outlined. Research on transparent aerogel insulation and optical switching films for windows are introduced.

Journal

Solar & Wind Technology

Volume

Year of Publication

1987