Have you ever sat on the tiles at night and felt the residual heat of the day after a long summer day? However, it has the potential to become a nighttime solar energy source and a new green power that overcomes the shortcomings of current photovoltaic technology.
After all, the lack of continuous supply at any time of the day is often seen as the Achilles heel of solar energy. To alleviate this situation, new technologies under development are ready to take advantage of this kind of renewable energy. V2G technology Use electric vehicle batteries to stabilize the grid. Now, a team of researchers at the University of New Wales (UNSW) in Australia are presenting another solution that is still experimental.
Solar energy at night (thanks to infrared radiation)
The aforementioned warm summer tiles are The earth cools down every night by emitting infrared rays into outer space. This type of radiation captured by night vision cameras allows us to see warm-blooded creatures and moving car engines. This energy has so far only been available for wildlife surveillance and surveillance systems. Fortunately, UNSW scientists have now devised a solution to capture solar energy at night and convert it to electricity.
In particular, Based on mathematical models developed in the same lab, they use a semiconductor device known as a heat emitting diode. Instead of using it to capture images, it was used to generate electricity from the emission of infrared thermal radiation.The energy that is generated is 1/100,000 of the value obtained from a solar panel.
However, scientists believe that the first silicon solar cell, developed by Bell Labs in 1954, 2% efficiencyToday’s most advanced photovoltaic panels over 20%. The development team believes that new technical approaches will advance as well. Technically, it could reach 1/10th the efficiency of conventional solar panels.
These researchers aren’t the only technological breakthroughs that have happened in the field of nighttime solar energy recently. One of the most prominent examples of research in this area was done by a team of researchers at Stanford University in the United States.
Their proposal involves harnessing the cooling of solar panels at night by emitting infrared thermal radiation into space. US scientists took advantage of the temperature difference between the panel and the still warm air surrounding the panel. They use a thermoelectric generator, also known as TEG.
The advantage of these thermoelectric generators is that they produce electricity when heated. This technology can be added to photovoltaic panels to Night and day solar power in one deviceIn this case, the TEG only works during the cooling or heating process, so the main obstacles are the low power produced (in milliwatts) and the narrow window of opportunity to do so.
Real world applications: wearables and sensors
Nighttime solar power is probably not suitable for running refrigerators or doing laundry.
First, it can keep remote sensors and IoT devices powered after sunset, especially in hot countries. On the other hand, wearables such as sports bracelets and smart wear will benefit greatly from converting infrared thermal radiation into electricity. Additionally, researchers envision a future in which bionic devices such as artificial hearts are powered by body heat.
night solar power could become a reality within the next decade, says the Australian university inventor. This will provide yet another weapon in the renewable energy arsenal in transitioning away from fossil fuels and tackling climate change.
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