Solar Energy in the Digital Age: Surprising Innovations and Application

The main source of energy for all life on Earth is the Sun. This is the main source of energy for all life on Earth – the Sun. The application of solar energy finds new spheres every day, so the relevance of such developments is constantly increasing.

Power engineering, medicine, automotive industry, home and office furnishings, and lighting equipment – it is difficult to enumerate all the areas in which developments related to the consumption of solar energy are involved. Developers present their novelties at various conferences, exhibitions, and scientific seminars.

Roof Tiles on Photocells

A new multifunctional roofing material has been developed by various solar power installation companies in such a way that it has all the qualities required for a sealed roof and combines embedded photovoltaic elements.

Solar panel companies equip the tiles with capsules made of transparent, durable glass, which house ultra-thin solar cells that exactly follow the shape of the outer surface of the tile. The efficiency factor of such roofing tiles is very high – up to 17.5%, which is an impressive value in the field of this type of battery.

Depending on the area of the roof, such a roof can solve all the energy problems of a private home. Construction companies are already interested in this novelty, so shortly it is expected a rapid spread of photovoltaic tiles in the construction of many objects.

Double-sided Batteries

A real sensation was created by a joint idea of German and Singaporean scientists who presented double-sided solar panels. The benefits of solar panels are the following: on the same area of batteries with almost the same costs, it is possible to produce 30% more electricity than before.

The principle is based on the fact that the photovoltaic cells should be located both on the surface facing the sun and on the shadow side, which at the same time absorbs sunlight. In addition, such installations have a long service life due to the reliability of each of the cells. According to the most modest forecasts, Solar Panel Insurance Policy provides a 20-25 year guarantee.

The capacity of the modules significantly exceeds those that have been available on the energy-saving market so far, and this will make it possible to install them even in regions with few sunny days and severe frosts, where the use of solar energy in previous years was not feasible.

At the moment, negotiations are underway with industrial enterprises, which will start mass production of double-sided modules.

Perovskite-based Batteries

Perovskite-based batteries are another solar power provider used for photovoltaic energy conversion, based on silicon-containing compositions. The sputtering of such compositions is done under vacuum conditions, which makes their production expensive and leads to the release of pollutants.

A group of British scientists has come up with a new solution created by solar companies, which makes the process cheaper. Instead of silicon, the photovoltaic cells contain a complex mineral called perovskite. With the help of this substance, it is possible to efficiently convert the energy of the sun into electricity not only under direct rays but also in conditions of cloudy or rainy weather, which raises solar energy efficiency.

With the widespread introduction of perovskite, stable use of photovoltaic cells can be expected all year round in all climatic conditions.

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms9103

Flexible Cells

Another innovative digital solar technology conversion has touched the cost of generating electricity with a special chemical compound used in photovoltaic cells. With mass production, the price difference will be 5-6 times.

The main difference is that classic silicon cells for solar energy conversion are very rigid, brittle, and quite heavy. Batteries made with the new alloy are so thin that they are comparable in thickness to newsprint, which can be rolled up or given any complex curved shape.

This innovation dramatically expands the potential applications of flexible cells. Firstly, the new compound is very inexpensive, and secondly, cells for such batteries can be produced on simple printers, which eliminates complex manufacturing.

Protective Coating

One of the main problems of solar energy from the first steps was the factor of dust and dirt contamination. When used in the open air, the modules were quickly covered with a small layer of dust, which became thicker every day. This reduced the efficiency of the system many times over.

Nowadays, the development of solar panels equipped with a protective coating is presented. The photocells on the top surface have an additional double layer, half of which protects from dust and dirt, and the second part reduces glare activity, allowing more of the brightest and most effective rays to participate. Thus solar panel system benefits have been highly increased.

Home Solar-powered Digital Devices

The novelties of solar energy did not pass over household appliances. Several interesting new products have been presented, the most impressive of which is the GoSun grill. With its help, it is easy to stew, boil, roast, and steam dishes for 8 persons using clean natural energy.

In such devices, the heat accumulates inside the vacuum tube thanks to the presence of aluminum sheets-concentrators that heat the inside of the grill oven to 200 ° C in 2 minutes.

Another positive point is that cooking in this way does not produce harmful smoke, which pollutes the atmosphere and contributes to the development of the greenhouse effect.

Solar-powered Car

Another novelty in solar sustainable energy technologies is the development of a family car Stella, which can carry a small family of 4 people. Attempts to create such a car have been made before, but only now the technology has allowed to make it competitive in the car market.

The main disadvantages have been eliminated: slow speed and small energy reserve. Now the car can go at a speed of 110 km/hour, which is more than enough for family transportation. After dark, the accumulated light energy is enough for 600 km of travel – this is a really impressive figure.

Among other advantages is the fact that Stella works almost silently and does not produce harmful exhaust gases, it becomes clear that the development of this type of vehicle is a very promising direction for the energy industry.

Innovations in Motor Transport

One of the most successful solar energy applications during air travel was the Solar Impulse-2 airliner. Using only light energy, it was able to spend more than 510 hours in flight, which was an absolute record in this area. The airplane flew around the world, crossed several oceans, and made only a couple of landings due to bad weather conditions. For 120 hours it was in the air non-stop, which is considered impossible for liquid-fueled aircraft.

The element located on the top panel of the aircraft uses a sandwich system combining 8 layers. Through the cascades of these layers, light is converted into electric current. Previously, the layers were connected in series, reversing polarity. In this project, they used parallel connection, which immediately raised the efficiency of the system almost 1.5 times.

Source: https://solarimpulse.com/

Window Heating

Another discovery has made it possible to turn the surface of windows into an effective battery. A special composition is applied to the glass, which actively absorbs the sun’s rays. The light is accumulated and converted into electricity.

Applying the composition does not make the glass opaque, as the film is very thin and completely colorless. In addition, the development allows to consume not only direct rays but also diffuse light in cloudy weather. Such photocells do not spoil the appearance of the building and do not require additional space for installation

Thus, it is clear that solar energy technologies have penetrated all spheres of life and industry, making it more convenient and replacing non-renewable resources that are constantly increasing in cost.

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