See-Through Solar Panels Are About to Change How We Power Cities

A new wave of solar technology could transform every pane of glass into a power source.

Author

Briain Kelly
November 12, 2025

Inside this Edition:

  • Transparent Solar Panels Promise a Bright Future

  • Electric Car Charging - AC vs DC Charging Explained

  • Kirsty explains how to keep your home cosy in Winter

  • Solar Panel Grants for Farmers - Helping Irish Farms go Green

  • Understanding U-Values & R-Values for Home Insulation

P.S. Thinking about solar panels? Click here to compare local installer prices now »

Transparent Solar Panels Promise a Bright Future

Solar panels are most commonly seen on rooftops and in fields, with their distinctive black outline.

But what if, not too far from today, every window in a building could be quietly and invisibly making electricity, with no one any the wiser.

Transparent solar panels have the potential to radically transform how we think of building energy use, especially in large urban buildings.

Read more about the past and future of this promising technology

Transparent Solar Panels - The Future of Urban Solar? - Energy Efficiency

Solar panels are now most often found on rooftops and in fields, with their distinctive black outline. But that may not always be the case. Transparent solar

energyefficiency.ie/blog/transparent-solar-panels-2025

Electric Car Charging - AC vs DC Charging Explained

There are many types of electric car chargers on the market. One of the biggest things that separates them is whether they use DC or AC charging.

Our guide explains the difference between AC and DC charging: where you are likely to find the different charger types, and how it affects your charging speed.

AC v DC Electric Vehicle Charging - Energy Efficiency

Speak to Energy Efficiency today to get the best quotes on the market for EV charging stations for your home or business.

energyefficiency.ie/blog/ac-v-dc-electric-vehicle-charging

Kirsty explains how to keep your home cosy in Winter

Insulation can help keep your home cosy in the winter weather. It doesn’t have to break the bank either, as Kirsty explains, with grants available for Irish homeowners.

@energy.efficiency.ie

Ready to make your home cosier this winter?❄️ Insulation grants are available — with up to €1,500 for attics and €8,000 for wall insulatio... See more

Solar Panel Grants for Farmers - Helping Irish Farms go Green

Farmers can benefit massively from using rooftop solar panels to drastically reduce their electricity usage and carbon footprint.

But investing in enough solar power to make a dent in a large farming operation can be expensive.

That’s why the government of Ireland has a specific solar PV grant programme for farms, offering up to €90,000.

Solar Panel Grants for Farmers - Energy Efficiency

One of the best ways to reduce the cost of solar panels is with grant funding that is paid directly for solar PV installations.

energyefficiency.ie/blog/solar-panel-grants-for-farmers

Understanding U-Values & R-Values for Home Insulation

Getting insulation installed in your home can be a very technical process. With so many different types of insulation available, you want to know that you’re making the right choice.

U-Values and R-Values are the most commonly used terms for describing the thermal effectiveness of insulation, or the fabric of a building.

But what do these terms mean, and how are they measured? Read on to find out.

Understanding U-Values & R-Values - Energy Efficiency

There’s a lot of technical jargon that gets thrown around when talking about the performance of insulation and windows when it comes to retaining heat. 

energyefficiency.ie/blog/understanding-u-values-r-values

That’s it for this week. If you want to learn more about how you can save more in your home while living more sustainably, then keep an eye out for our next edition.

Until next time.

Briain Kelly,

Editor, EnergyEfficiency.ie