Solar panel that can generate electricity in rainy days

Generally speaking, solar panel are only suitable for use in natural environments with plenty of sunlight. It is not easy to use when it is cloudy or rainy; some batteries (such as Tesla's "firewall" batteries) can store electricity to It can be used in rainy days or at night, but for some areas with insufficient light, this technology is not of great value in terms of efficiency or cost.

The new solar panel developed by Suzhou University can solve this problem better. According to reports, they use a new technology called "tribo nano generator (TENG)" in the solar panels they manufacture to capture the energy generated when raindrops fall. A nano-generator is a device that converts mechanical energy into usable electricity. It can use rainfall to achieve this goal on a small scale. This solar panel using TENG technology is still very light and can be installed on the roof. The researcher inserted a spacer made of different transparent plastic or polymer materials between TENG and the solar cell. Because the structures of several layers are connected, but they can operate independently, solar panels can generate electricity in different weather conditions.

At present, the bottleneck affecting the promotion and application of this new technology is the higher production cost of the product. If it can be solved, then even in areas that are not considered suitable for solar energy collection due to insufficient sunlight, it can make solar energy an efficient and clean new energy source.

Experts believe that despite the constraints of weather conditions, solar energy is still one of the fastest growing energy sources in the world. At present, the cost of installing commercial solar panels has decreased by 58%. It is expected that renewable energy power generation will account for 40% of global power generation by 2040, so the development prospects of this new technology are very promising.