Researchers at the Seville Institute of Materials Science (ICMS) have found a unique way to protect solar panels from moisture, increasing their efficiency. At the same time, the plasma coating they propose can additionally generate electricity from the kinetic energy of rain.
According to Interesting Engineering, the developers expect this technology to contribute to the deployment of the Internet of Things and outdoor sensor systems. These are used to monitor the environment and the condition of structures.
"Our work offers an advanced solution that combines photovoltaic perovskite solar cell technology with triboelectric nanogenerators in a thin-film configuration, thus demonstrating the possibility of implementing both energy harvesting systems," said Carmen Lopez, a researcher at ICMS.
Why perovskite?
Modern solar panels provide humanity with clean energy. However, they are highly dependent on weather conditions and time of day. In addition, only a fraction of the Sun’s energy can be converted into useful power.
Perovskite materials, in turn, can improve the efficiency of converting sunlight into electricity. Additionally, they are less expensive than the materials currently used in panel manufacturing.
The “rain” bonus
ICMS researchers not only used a more efficient perovskite, but also enabled the equipment to generate energy from falling raindrops. To do this, the team applied a film less than 100 nanometers thick to the surface. For perspective, the average thickness of a human hair is 80,000 nanometers.
This film uses plasma technology and serves a dual purpose:
- As an encapsulator: the film protects the chemical properties of the perovskite cells, increasing their light absorption efficiency;
- As a triboelectric surface: the nanoscale layer converts kinetic energy into electricity.
As a result of testing, scientists found that a single raindrop falling on their nanocoating is enough to generate 110 V of energy, which is sufficient to power a small device.
Overcoming panel shortcomings
A rainy climate is a challenge for deploying solar power stations. The ICMS-proposed technology reliably protects panels from moisture, while also extracting additional energy from it.
The scientists have well-grounded expectations that their development will be a successful solution for powering a wide range of devices, including ones submerged in water. At the same time, it could help power sensors on megastructures and in meteorological research.
“Our research highlights the potential of plasma-deposited coatings as a multifunctional solution for protecting sensitive energy devices and developing systems capable of harvesting energy from various environmental sources, such as hybrid solar-rain panels,” the scientists emphasized.
EcoPolitic previously reported that scientists invented a technology to convert industrial waste gases into raw material for plastics.
