Smart windows could provide a green alternative to Wi-Fi

Spotted: The carbon footprint of the internet and associated systems accounts for around 3.7 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, similar to the amount produced by the global airline industry. However, a group of researchers at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) may have found a way to reduce this by harnessing sunshine for wireless data transmission.

The researchers have designed a smart glass system that can encode data into the light that passes through it. This can offer a greener mode of communication compared to conventional Wi-Fi or cellular data transmission.