[D66] zonregen

[Henk Vreekamp]

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Solar panels generate energy when it rains 
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Solar power is making huge strides as a reliable, renewable energy 
source, but there's still a lot of untapped potential in terms of the 
efficiency of photovoltaic cells and what happens at night and during 
inclement weather. Now a solution has been put forward in the form of 
producing energy from raindrops.  
  
Because raindrops are not made up of pure water, and contain various 
salts that split up into positive and negative ions, a team from the 
Ocean University of China in Qingdao thinks we can harness power via a 
simple chemical reaction. Specifically, they want to use graphene sheets 
to separate the positively charged ions in rain and in turn generate 
electricity.  
  
Early tests, using slightly salty water to simulate rain, have been 
promising: the researchers were able to generate hundreds of microvolts 
and achieve a respectable 6.53% solar-to-electric conversion efficiency 
from their customised solar panel.  
  
For the experiment, the team used an inexpensive, thin-film solar cell 
called a dye-sensitised solar cell. After adding a layer of graphene to 
the cell, it was put on a transparent backing of indium tin oxide and 
plastic. The resulting 'all-weather' solar cell concept was then 
equipped to produce power from both sunshine and the rain substitute.  
  
The team is now working on adjusting the technology to handle the 
variety of ions found in real raindrops and figuring how to generate 
enough electricity from the typically low concentrations they come in. 

Science Alert / Angewandte Chemie - April 08, 2016 
 http://www.merit.unu.edu/itweekly/ref.php?nid=5641 
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