Scientists in China are developing a new kind of solar panel that could be used to generate power from rain drops.
By using a thin layer of highly conductive graphene, the solar cell could effectively harness power from rain. The salt contained in rain separates into ions (ammonium, calcium and sodium), making graphene and natural water a great combination for creating energy.
The water actually clings to the graphene, forming a dual layer i-e pseudocapacitor, with the graphene electrons. The energy difference between these layers is so strong that it generates electricity.
According to the scientists , this new technology could guide the design of advanced all-weather solar cells.
i-e The new solar cell can be excited by incident light on sunny days and raindrops on rainy days
All-weather solar cells are promising in solving the energy crisis.
Anyway, it will take further work to refine the design and create a product that can be put to practical use.
The test panel was able to generate hundreds of microvolts, which is tiny compared to a standard AA battery. The energy conversion stood at about 7%, which is also much smaller compared to the nearly 20% energy conversion achieved by the best solar cells available on the market.
