It is now possible to get more energy from the sun than it was ten years ago. In China, there is now a way to collect solar power when it rains or is cloudy. Scientists based at Yunnan Normal University and the Ocean University of China have developed a solar panel that works when it is raining. Made of graphene, and it can turn rain drops into energy.
The technology changes as the weather do – on sunny days, the old technology is used then when it rains the graphene takes over. There are delocalized electrons in the liquid graphene and along with the pseudo-capacitor, electricity is generated.
The raindrops turn to negative and positive ions with the positive ones being salt related and gathering on the graphene. Along with the negative ones, the dual layer acts as a pseudo-capacitor and a current is created.
The critical component in the rain-based system is an aqueous form of graphene. Liquid graphene can conduct electricity due to its delocalized electrons that help set up a pseudocapacitor that can be used in the generation of electricity.
It is hoped by the researchers that they will be able to take the research to a stage where is can be developed. If all weather cells could be used, it would be a great boost for solar cell technology. At present, it is only possible to produce electricity when there have been phases of sunshine. It would mean that it is not only possible to use solar power in hot countries, but also ones where it is mainly cloud and rain. It is a step up from the technology that is present now.