Solar panels have demonstrated an efficiency that seems to be growing faster and faster – thanks to the search for new materials, that is. However, we have never known how to increase it when it rains… until now. We want you to know the latest invention coming from China and the discovery that has shocked scientists: photovoltaic cells are able to manipulate the weather in this way.
Rain used to be a problem for solar panels, but experts have managed to turn it into an opportunity
The new invention by Chinese researchers, which involves the kind of solar panel that can produce energy from drops of water, is revolutionary.
These panels are coated by graphene that can allow them to produce power all through the night and in soggy conditions with the intended effect being that they are able to operate in the absence of common solar panels due to their inability to produce power during such days.
This is done by using a graphene nanojuice coating that acts as a shooter and produce electricity through the physical contact of various materials. Upon falling of the rain on the solar cells, the kinetic energy registered to the particles gets changed to electricity due to the help of the graphene layer.
Different from conventional photovoltaic solar panels that produce electricity only when the sun shines, these new triboelectric panels are beneficial as they are continuously generating electricity even during the night.
As raindrops pass through the Piezo technology, they generate enough kinetic energy to produce power even in low light conditions. This invention will have a pivotal role in this process that may allow solar cards to perform operating even throughout the night and despite weather conditions.
How do these solar panels make rain generate electricity? Beyond the benefit, we get from the sun
The main novelty behind the technology of generating energy from rain by using graphene-coated solar panels is a graphene film covering solar panels. Given that graphene is an atom-thick layer of honeycombed carbon, this arrangement has a hexagonal lattice.
Although impact from raindrops causes electronic charges to accumulate, the electric charges are immediately released and dissipated with the introduction of a slight external voltage.
The raindrops get electrified by the action of friction or rubbing between the raindrops and the graphene surface, and thus, there appears a voltage drop because of the accumulation of charges.
By this action, electricity is able to flow out of the solar panel to the circuits linked externally to the source. This exclusive effect of raindrops jumping (or rebounding) off of graphene solar panels lets them produce electricity around the clock any time rain showers fall.
Goodbye to the rain problem and higher efficiency: this is the leap that could revolutionize renewables
The new solar panels have lower efficiency compared to traditional photovoltaic panels that convert sunlight into electricity. In initial testing, the new solar panels have only achieved about a quarter of the efficiency of standard solar panels. This means the new panels produce less electricity overall from the same amount of roof space.
However, the new solar panels can generate some electricity even at night. The panels produce about a tenth of the energy at night as they do during the day. While the nighttime output is lower, it helps supplement solar generation around the clock.
As you can see, solar panels demonstrate something we already know to some extent: they have the capacity to modify the climate. However, we thought they would do so in the long term by slowing down global warming, not that they would have an immediate effect. What do you think of this discovery? It remains to be seen what its implications will be in the future.