Tag Archives: solar

These Solar Panels Also Turn Rain Into Electricity

Solar panels on grass

Researchers at the Institute of Materials Science of Seville have used a perovskite-based solar panel that can create electricity from the rain. They created a nanometer-thin film that covers the panel and when drops hit the panel it causes a tiny amount electricity to be produced. As a bonus the film provides protection to the panel, which the perovskite panels needs since the material is more fragile than your standard solar cell.

A decade ago we looked at perovskite , and it’s really neat to see this technology continue to improve.

This extremely thin film plays a dual role. First, it acts as an encapsulant that protects the perovskite cells’ chemistry while also increasing their light absorption. In addition to this, the layer acts like a triboelectric surface – one that can convert kinetic energy into electrical energy.
In experiments conducted at the ICMS facility, the researchers found that a single raindrop could generate a potential difference of 110 V, sufficient to power a small portable device.
“Our work proposes an advanced solution that combines perovskite solar cell photovoltaic technology with triboelectric nanogenerators in a thin-film configuration, thus demonstrating the feasibility of implementing both energy harvesting systems,” said Carmen Lopez, a researcher at ICMS, who was involved in the work in the press release.

Snow Fences Generated Power This Past Winter in Minnesota

Picture of a solar snow fence.

Minnesota tried out a neat idea to upgrade their snow fences along highways to generated electricity through solar panels. The idea of a solar fence itself isn’t new, but the application of it in this context is. Unsurprisingly, the results were exactly what you would think of a solar project: it works and the current pay off is about decade, plus increasing the scale of the project reduces the time it takes to recoup costs. Compare that to your average snow fence that has zero ROI. When thinking of a robust power grid these small-scale projects can add up to a very powerful solution.

The solar snow fence generated 10 to 30 kWh per day—enough energy to power an average household—with a payback period of approximately 11 years.

For managing blowing and drifting snow, the solar snow fence outperformed the traditional snow fence due to its lower porosity and higher stiffness. Solar snow fences had the best economic viability if they operated under a PPA.

The length of the fence is a critical factor for economic viability, as those measuring at least one mile will benefit from economies of scale. Design improvements such as longer solar panels, fewer posts and a better connection between the solar panel and the steel post will lower costs and potentially reduce the payback period to five years.

Ontario Just Made it Clear: Get Solar or Pay More

solar retaining wall alongside a road

Homeowners in Ontario are about to pay a lot more electricity with no sign of rate increases stopping anytime soon. The far right Conservative government has torn up renewable developments (at a cost to taxpayers of $231 million) and done very little other than make announcements about nuclear power. You’re probably wondering where the good news is in all of this. Surely, a government hellbent on destroying the planet and people’s pocketbooks isn’t good. To spin the news: there has never been a better time in the history of Ontario than now to get on renewables. If you own a home then you should be investing in solar, wind, or geothermal to save tons of money (and the planet); otherwise you should at the very least get better insulation so you pay less for heating and cooling.

Ontario’s electricity market needs a deeper conversation, one that goes beyond time blocks and rebates.

How do we make energy fair? How do we protect households from volatility? And how do we incentivize solutions—like rooftop solar, battery storage, and smarter appliances—that put power back in people’s hands?

These aren’t fringe questions. They’re central to the future of energy in Ontario.

Because if the last few years have shown us anything, it’s this: betting on lower hydro bills is no longer a safe strategy.

Solar Soars Above Coal as World’s Biggest Source of Electricity

Solar panels on grass

Believe it or not there are places love coal so much that they seem to despise their citizen’s health and wellbeing. The rest of the world is moving to renewables rather quickly and this year marks is the first that solar is now the biggest single source of electricity. That’s right: just one source of renewable electricity has overtaken the most harmful source of electricity. The future is 100% renewable!

Solar power delivered the lion’s share of growth, meeting 83% of the increase in electricity demand. It has now been the largest source of new electricity globally for three years in a row.

Most solar generation (58%) is now in lower-income countries, many of which have seen explosive growth in recent years.

That’s thanks to spectacular reductions in cost. Solar has seen prices fall a staggering 99.9% since 1975 and is now so cheap that large markets for solar can emerge in a country in the space of a single year, especially where grid electricity is expensive and unreliable, says Ember.

Solar is Powering the Syrian Rebuilding Process

Syria has started the rebuilding of infrastructure, culture, communities, and more now that the civil war has concluded. The video above shows how Damascus is rebuilding their trains and other core infrastructure. The most interesting thing in the video is the prevalence of solar panels in the city, seemingly every roof has an installation on it!
The future is renewable and that’s made clear as Syria needs to rebuild quickly and efficiently so they can heal and improve the entire nation.

Things Are Good

Inspirational and good news.