Solar panels and wind turbines are already providing large amounts of clean, renewable energy to people around the world, helping to reduce dependence on dirty fuels for electricity, but the technology surrounding both is still evolving. Masu.
Scientists at South Korea’s Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology have developed a device that combines wind and solar power to more efficiently collect clean energy.
The device is a wind-powered electrodynamic screen that allowed scientists to create self-cleaning solar panels.
Self-cleaning solar panels are very important. Solar panels work by absorbing sunlight, so keep them free of dust and dirt, which will prevent light from entering. This requires regular cleaning, which can be expensive, difficult, and, depending on where the panels are installed, dangerous. Very few solar panels (with a few exceptions) are located in locations that are easily accessible and wipe clean.
As detailed by Interesting Engineering, electrodynamic screens can use high-voltage electric fields to clean solar panels without human intervention. But the screen also needs to be powered by an external power source, and that’s where wind energy comes into play.
By deploying triboelectric nanogenerators that harness the frictional energy of the wind, researchers were able to generate enough electricity to power electrokinetic screens, permanently reducing solar panels by about 90%. I was able to keep it clean.
“We have discovered a way to turn abundant wind energy into a tool that maintains panel cell efficiency. This ensures that solar power remains a viable solution towards a cleaner future. This is a big step towards achieving this goal,” said Professor Lee Joo-hyuk, who led the research. , Said.
Using one type of clean energy to increase the efficiency of another type of clean energy is a particularly good solution to the problem. This is the kind of technological advancement we can expect and hope for as solar and wind power become more widespread. Widely popular.
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