We love gadgets that serve dual purposes, so when we came across these solar windows from Hua Qin we were giddy with excitement. These window panes, which were unveiled at Taipei’s International Optoelectronics Week, do double duty to block out the elements and create energy for your home. They are slightly foggy and can seemingly replace home or commercial windows.

The windows can come in slightly hazy to really hazy opacities – the more opaque the window, the more energy it produces. It’s unclear when these windows will hit the market, but they do bring up the idea of solar mapping, which we recently reported on. People can now map their buildings to see where the most sunlight hits, and install very opaque solar windows on those sections of the building in order to optimize the sun’s rays.

This great green invention could open up the door to all kinds of renewable energy production for all kinds of environments. With solar panels, or even with solar paper — which we recently reported on — it is neccessary to put aside a surface for solar production that will serve no other purpose other than to produce power. With these solar windows one could generate electricity not on the roof of an electric car, but through the sun roof or the window pane. This solar glass would be perfect for greenhouses, capturing light from panes of glass that already magnify the sun. The opportunities with solar glass are endless, let’s hope Hua Qin sets to work manufacturing them soon.