Massachusetts Institute of Technology is tinkering with another creative solution to their daunting research task of improving solar energy. Just one month ago, they announced regenerative solar cells, a type of solar cell mimicking plant cells’ regenerative abilities to keep their efficiency high in the face of sun damage. Now, MIT has produced a paper-thin solar cell that could be used to cover windows.

Unlike their earlier breakthrough this year, these cells address a less technical hurdle that solar energy faces: aesthetics. Many would-be solar enthusiasts don’t want to place solar panels on prominent rooftops or yards for fear of having them simply look ugly. (Ed.: We here at GetSolar don’t share this fear. Solar panels are downright pretty.) These clever panels could function like normal blinds, side-stepping the problem entirely.

According to CNET News, the prototypes displayed yesterday in Boston created enough energy to power a modest LED display. Chemical engineering professor Karen Gleason, who conducted this research in collaboration with an Italian company called Eni, believes a commercial device could be available in five years. She imagines the blinds could be connected to home wiring or have a built in energy storage system.

Though efficiencies of these early prototypes are low, the real power of the invention lies in the materials used and the “layer by layer manufacturing process” that Gleason’s lab is pioneering. These factors have the ability to make the cells radically inexpensive. They won’t use any pricey or rare metals found in some other solar cell designs.

This technology’s ability to cut costs and aesthetic hurdles simultaneously could make it a gamechanger. We’re hoping to see more prototypes from Gleason’s lab as the research progresses.