Ever heard someone compliment your outfit by saying you look electrifying? Well, Toyota’s going to add a literal meaning to that statement a as it researches solar panels that are patterned and can be integrated into clothing or other daily items to generate electricity on the go.
The anonymous looking tumbler below is wrapped in the patterned solar panels and could function as a portable charger for smartphones and other electronic devices.
Toyota’s research focuses on adding designs onto solar panels to increase their applications. Solar panels are typically a dull black and inorganic object.
With the Japanese government vowing to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, solar power are among renewable energy sources that’ve suddenly been thrusted into the limelight to bring this goal to fruition.
Part of the efforts has seen the Tokyo Metropolitan Government enact an ordinance requiring new homes in the metropolis to be outfitted with solar panels.
Nonetheless, it isn’t all smooth sailing though as the numbers simply don’t add up. A subsegment of that goal includes a target for national solar power adoption by 2030 and unfortunately, hitting that mark will would require panel installation to double from the current rate.
Space is limited in the island nation and locals are extremely protective of preserving the gorgeous natural scenery, leaving the government in a conundrum.
Toyota’s goal is to create panels with customisable patterns and colours that can be integrated and blend into the existing urban or natural landscape. This would make the panels applicable on previously unconsidered spaces, such as walls of city buildings or shrines and temples.
You might be thinking, “Why hasn’t anyone thought of this before?” Well, previously colouring solar panels blocks the sunlight and prevents it from generating electricity.
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Toyota is overcoming this by developing thin decorative films that can be applied atop the panels without blocking the sunlight.
Speaking to Toyota Times, the in-house inventor behind the thin films, Taizo Masuda, PhD, the Group Manager, Carbon Neutral Development Division.
Surprisingly, the approach was one as a carmaker first and not a technological entity. Toyota views design as a key component of its products and has spent many years developing its painting technologies.
“Just as you choose a car for its design, the same should apply to selecting solar panels for your environment,” he said.
“We began researching the use of car painting technology six years ago, before the push toward carbon neutrality. Whereas the earth’s resources are limited, sunlight provides an infinite source of energy. We wanted to find a way to combine power generation and aesthetics,” explained Masuda.
The secret lies in the pigments used in automotive paint that allows sunlight to pass through the film. It’s best to think of the film as “translucent,” reflecting only specific colours and allowing all other light to permeate and generate power.
Toyota’s team worked with partner Nippon Paint Automotive Coatings to develop the technology and conducted joint research with F-Wave, a manufacturer of solar cells.
The final product was a world-first of solar panels with customisable patterns without compromising the functionality.
At first glance, solar panel development appears to have little to do with Toyota’s core business and yet it drew on knowledge of painting technology to create these solar panels.
Furthermore, in a country like Japan with frequent natural disaster leading to power outages, these panels could help reduce downtime or even eliminate it altogether.
Looking at the unlimited potential of the panels, Toyota Times asked Masuda if it was possible to create “electricity-generating cars” by attaching the panels to the body.
“It’s physically possible, and we have already begun trials. The biggest hurdle is the difficulty of fabricating solar panels to precisely fit the unevenness of car surfaces,” he said.
“In addition, boosting the colour of the decorative film impacts generating efficiency, so we face a trade-off between the aesthetic aspect and the amount of power that can be produced. Bridging that gap is the key to moving forward,” he added.
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Further testament to the technology’s boundless applications, he shared that it’s gaining interest from sporting goods manufacturers, advertising companies and urban development branding companies.
From a manpower standpoint, interest has risen in applying the solar panels in fan-equipped clothing worn by those working under the blazing sun. Such conditions are ideal for solar power generation, allowing the fans to run at full output.
The technology could also be applied to clothing and bags used in hiking gear or off-the-grid homes.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing initially. For a legacy carmaker such as Toyota, researching solar power was cast in the same light as the witches of Salem.
“When momentum finally started to build towards carbon neutrality and the importance of solar panels was recognised, the wind shifted in our direction. More and more people, both within the company and beyond, began to support us. Having been overlooked in the past, I’m really thrilled about the interest that everyone is showing now,” he happily said.
In fact, the encouraging words of Toyota’s chairman, Akio Toyoda himself, spurred Masuda to keep going.
“Hearing the president say that we needed to “step up to the plate” was a great encouragement. For those of us working far from the spotlight, it felt like permission to take the field,” he acknowledged.
A big helping hand came from others within Toyota as well. Among them was junior researcher Ryota Tomizawa from the Carbon Neutral Development Division. He joined the carmaker looking to solve major environmental issues and this was right up his alley.
“Carbon neutrality tends to be seen as quotas that must be reached, but for me, this development is about the positive aspects of contributing to people’s happiness with solar panels that bring colour to our cities,” Tomizawa said.
While the technological leaps are lightyears ahead, many hurdles still stand in the way. One of the leading obstacles would be working with mass-produced bases to reduce costs.
Nonetheless, you can count on the passion of Toyota’s researchers continuing to drive the development of carbon-neutral solutions.