A pluviovoltaic panel using Dall-E artificial intelligence.
Will we soon have the right to panels capable of producing electricity using rain?In any case, this is the objective of the Chinese University of Tsinghua, which has just announced that it has obtained a power of 200 W/m² thanks to a structure inspired by photovoltaic panels.News that should delight the Bretons! Solar Panel 600w
Researchers at Tsinghua University in China say they have developed a panel capable of generating electricity from rain using triboelectric nanogenerators.These tiny machines, bearing the English acronym TENG (Triboelectric nanogenerator), are already used in particular to recover energy from waves thanks to the friction caused by water on the solid receiver.They have the advantage of having a simple structure, and of generating “ultra-high instantaneous power” according to the team from Tsinghua University.
TENGs dedicated to the production of electricity from water droplets have also existed for several years.Called D-TENG (Droplet triboelectric nanogenerator), these generators, however, have a major drawback: when several of them are combined, they have a negative influence on each other, resulting in a drastic drop in energy production. overall.However, the combination of several generators is essential to ensure continuity of electricity production.
To get around this problem, researchers at Tsinghua University took inspiration from the structure of photovoltaic panels and created generators that help maintain the independence of each production unit.For now, the researchers have developed a prototype equipped with several 15 × 15 cm energy harvesting devices, which allowed them to obtain a power "nearly five times greater than that of energy conventional large area raindrops of the same size, reaching 200 W/m²”.Although no information has been communicated on the conditions necessary to achieve such a power, it approaches the peak value of conventional photovoltaic panels.
Operating principle of D-TENG cells / Diagram: iEnergy, Tsinghua University, image quality improved with Pixelcut AI.
If this scientific advance broadens the field of possibilities, it now remains to determine the cases for which this device would be the most relevant mode of production.Tsinghua University points out, moreover, that not all types of precipitation produce the same amount of energy.A short but intense thunderstorm will produce more electricity than an episode of light rain lasting several hours.
The creation of “hybrid” panels capable of producing electricity using the sun, but also using rain could prove relevant, particularly in regions where the sun is not predominant and where precipitation is heavy and numerous. , such as near the equator.
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Since it is the conversion of kinetic energy they omit to give the flow rate of the water.If it were that simple then we would already be putting turbines on the downspouts (this has been attempted and guess what…).
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