Vasilis Fthenakis, a senior research scientist and adjunct professor at Columbia University who did not participate in the paper, told FoxNews.com that, if the technology’s additional costs and potential solar cell optical losses do not exceed the benefits of rain-harvested energy, it could be used in climates not typically associated with strong solar energy. A group of researchers from China, however, has tackled another problem with solar power – generating power during periods of clouds and rain.
Advertisement
“All-weather solar cells are promising in solving the energy crisis”, explain the scientists from Ocean University of China and Yunnan Normal University, noting that the technology combines an electron-enriched graphene electrode with a dye-sensitized solar cell.
A new solar cell prototype developed by Chinese researchers may change the way we use solar panels. The water from the rain will stick to the graphene and will act as a capacitor. Now a solution has been put forward in the form of producing energy from raindrops. The clever part is that rainwater isn’t pure: It contains compounds like ammonium, calcium and sodium, all of which become ions when they’re in solution. Liquid graphene can conduct electricity due to its delocalized electrons that help set up a pseudocapacitor that can be used in the generation of electricity.
The team created a flexible cell and coated it with a layer of graphene. Now this top double layer begins to interact with the negatively-charged ions in the layer below. The energy difference between these layers is so great that electricity is generated, and the best thing is that it can be stored.
The panels were developed by the Ocean University of China.
It will take time to refine the system, but this was intended only as a proof of concept test. With more work, we might have solar panels that gather power even when the sun isn’t shining.
Advertisement
Solar panels have to be outside to operate, but the weather often doesn’t cooperate to deliver maximum sunlight.
