My idea is restructuring liquid crystals to have controllable photovoltaic properties. This can cause desirable effects, and could also make photovoltaics much more practical for household use. The panels are designed to exhibit photovoltaic properties when a small voltage is applied from a separate power source, darkening the glass, while also causing the structure to exhibit photovoltaics. When the voltage is removed, the panel resumes transparency. I wish this to be variable. The device functions as a window, shade, and electrical panel at once. Tint would not be necessary on the panels, as the panels can be adjusted for other wavelengths of light. The panels would automate shading, while also generating electricity. They would not need to be installed on all windows, mainly due to cost issues, and the fact that electricity can only be harvested efficiently during certain time periods. However, this could be avoided by using the panels as skylight panes.

I would assume that the panels would be able to pay for their own cost within the span of a few months, and the heating/cooling costs associated with traditional windows. They could also have applications as variable privacy glass. The product would require heavy automation, but the variance in window sizes will require constant human supervision and quality assurance. My product would easily integrate with today's society, and can be installed with the same methods as today's windows. The panel could also be broken up into sections to maximize efficiency. This product is much more simple to deploy, and could be manufactured more cheaply than individual and dedicated photovoltaic panels.