In Spanien hergestelltes Hybrid-Solarpanel wandelt Regentropfen in Strom um (110 Volt pro Tropfen)

The development of TENG (Triboelectric Nanogenerator) technology to capture energy from raindrops is one of those ‚why did it take so long‘ breakthroughs that is finally seeing practical application. While 110 volts per drop sounds impressive, the more critical metric for large-scale adoption will be the amperage and the durability of the hydrophobic layers under constant UV exposure. Traditionally, the degradation of the polymers used in TENGs has been a major roadblock, but if this Spanish team has found a way to maintain efficiency over several years, it could be a game-changer for regions that experience significant rainfall or even just high humidity.Integrating this directly into solar panels is the logical next step for ‚all-weather‘ renewable energy. One of the biggest criticisms of solar power is its intermittent nature, but by creating a hybrid system that can generate power during a storm when light levels are low, we are starting to see a more resilient decentralized grid. It will be interesting to see how this affects the overall cost-per-watt of the installations; if the additional triboelectric layer is cost-effective, it could soon become a standard feature in high-latitude countries where traditional PV efficiency is often hampered by weather patterns.Integrating this directly into solar panels is the logical next step for ‚all-weather‘ renewable energy. One of the biggest criticisms of solar power is its intermittent nature, but by creating a hybrid system that can generate power during a storm when light levels are low, we are starting to see a more resilient decentralized grid. It will be interesting to see how this affects the overall cost-per-watt of the installations; if the additional triboelectric layer is cost-effective, it could soon become a standard feature in high-latitude countries where traditional PV efficiency is often hampered by weather patterns.The development of TENG (Triboelectric Nanogenerator) technology to capture energy from raindrops is one of those ‚why did it take so long‘ breakthroughs that is finally seeing practical application. While 110 volts per drop sounds impressive, the more critical metric for large-scale adoption will be the amperage and the durability of the hydrophobic layers under constant UV exposure. Traditionally, the degradation of the polymers used in TENGs has been a major roadblock, but if this Spanish team has found a way to maintain efficiency over several years, it could be a game-changer for regions that experience significant rainfall or even just high humidity.

I imagine they’ll mostly be deployed in the plains, then?

🎵 The rain in Spain falls mainly on the TENG 🎶

So, I did a little back-of-the-napkin math, and during an hour-long heavy rainstorm (7.6 mm/hr) with quite fast-traveling drops (10 m/s), where the panel can extract al/ of the kinetic energy from the droplet with no interference from any previously-fallen drops, you’ll get:

(drum roll)

0.18 Wh per panel. Good news, that’ll keep the LED indicator on the front of the „powered off“ television running. It won’t be nearly enough to run the inverter, though.

Credit for this comment to @gredr
https://www.reddit.com/r/science/s/qRazvWtaJ4

Vancouver: bring it on

The rain in Spain falls mainly on the…

Solar Panels

Seems like a good idea, especially in a rainy climate.