Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles have reportedly developed a technology that enables devices to recharge using available light.
UCLA scientists develop LCD technology they call "polarizing organic photovoltaic LCD" which converts available light into energy for devices, even taking otherwise wasted light from normal LCDs to power a device. Image of an LCD screen from scomodo / Flickr (CC)
According to a report from UCLA’s press room, the technology was developed by scientists at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and makes use of what they call a “photovoltaic polarizer”.
In basic terms, a photovoltaic polarizer can be added to a device’s liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, allowing the screen to capture available light and convert it back to energy.
“The UCLA engineers have created a novel concept for harvesting and recycling energy for electronic devices — one that involves equipping these devices’ LCD screens with built-in photovoltaic polarizers, allowing them to convert ambient light, sunlight and their own backlight into electricity,” the report says.
The new technology can convert 75 percent of lost energy from normal LCD screens to recharge a device, the report notes.
According to the report, the “new type of energy-harvesting polarizer for LCDs called a polarizing organic photovoltaic” has the potential to “boost the function of an LCD by working simultaneously as a polarizer, a photovoltaic device and an ambient light or sunlight photovoltaic panel.”
The research is published in the online edition of the Advanced Materials journal.
