Podcast: Artificial Plants For Renewable Energy

In this episode, we talk about how a system inspired by nature can successfully extract the hydrogen molecules from water using sunlight at almost the same efficiency as plants.

17 Jan, 2023. 1 minute read

Peng Zhou uses a large lens to concentrate sunlight onto the water-splitting catalyst. Outdoors, the device was ten times more efficient than previous efforts at solar water splitting. Photo: Brenda Ahearn/Michigan Engineering, Communications and Marketing

Topic

energy

EPISODE NOTES

(3:45) - Cheap, Sustainable Hydrogen Through Solar Power

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Topic

energy

How to clean solar panels without water

A new cleaning method could remove dust on solar installations in water-limited regions, improving overall efficiency.

15 Mar, 2022. 1 minute read

This article was first published on MIT News.

Solar power is expected to reach 10 percent of global power generation by the year 2030, and much of that is likely to be located in desert areas, where sunlight is abundant. But the accumulation of dust on solar panels or mirrors is already a significant issue — it can reduce the output of photovoltaic panels by as much as 30 percent in just one month — so regular cleaning is essential for such installations.

But cleaning solar panels currently is estimated to use about 10 billion gallons of water per year — enough to supply drinking water for up to 2 million people. Attempts at waterless cleaning are labor intensive and tend to cause irreversible scratching of the surfaces, which also reduces efficiency. Now, a team of researchers at MIT has devised a way of automatically cleaning solar panels, or the mirrors of solar thermal plants, in a waterless, no-contact system that could significantly reduce the dust problem, they say.

The new system uses electrostatic repulsion to cause dust particles to detach and virtually leap off the panel’s surface, without the need for water or brushes. To activate the system, a simple electrode passes just above the solar panel’s surface, imparting an electrical charge to the dust particles, which are then repelled by a charge applied to the panel itself. The system can be operated automatically using a simple electric motor and guide rails along the side of the panel. The research is described today in the journal Science Advances, in a paper by MIT graduate student Sreedath Panat and professor of mechanical engineering Kripa Varanasi.

Despite concerted efforts worldwide to develop ever more efficient solar panels, Varanasi says, “a mundane problem like dust can actually put a serious dent in the whole thing.” Lab tests conducted by Panat and Varanasi showed that the dropoff of energy output from the panels h

Podcast: Artificial Plants For Renewable Energy

In this episode, we talk about how a system inspired by nature can successfully extract the hydrogen molecules from water using sunlight at almost the same efficiency as plants.

EPISODE NOTES

Patchwork of issues limits solar expansion

Creative ivy-shaped solar panel system against facade on the High Tech Campus Eindhoven

Podcast: Sexy & Sustainable: Meet The Solar Ivy

EPISODE NOTES

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