- Being flexible, they can be installed even on curved surfaces.
Solar Panel Technology: By taking ideas from beehives, scientists are preparing to bring a revolution in the field of solar technology. Scientists have designed new solar panels with structures like beehives, which can capture more sunlight than panels with flat design. Capturing more sunlight means the panels will be able to generate more electricity. This new design can overcome the biggest limitation of solar panels.
What will be the benefit of the new design?
Currently, the surface of solar panels is completely flat and they are able to work at full capacity only when the sun is directly above them. As the angle of the sun changes slightly, most of the sunlight falling on them gets reflected instead of being converted into energy. This hassle will not be there in the newly designed panel. They will be able to work at full capacity even when the sun is not directly overhead. If this design comes out of the lab and comes to the market, the entire picture of solar installation will change. Panels with the new structure can be installed on curved buildings as well as vehicles.
How will the new panels work?
Taking inspiration from bees, scientists have created a 3D concave solar panel, whose structure is like a honeycomb. The advantage of this will be that the light coming on the panel will bounce between the angled walls of the panel instead of getting reflected as soon as it falls on the surface. When it hits one wall and reaches another, it will also get a chance to convert it from sunlight to electricity. During lab tests, the newly designed panel has given 142.3 percent more output than the flat panel. Apart from this, when the sun comes directly above the panels, their power generation capacity will increase by about 37 percent.
New panels will also be flexible
The existing panels are quite rigid and cannot be bent. To overcome this shortcoming, scientists have used polymer metamaterial in the new panels, which has given them flexibility. Due to this flexibility, they can be installed even in places where flat panels cannot be installed, including curved buildings, electric vehicles and aerospace equipment. However, currently these panels are being developed as a concept only. Before reaching the market, testing on a large scale will be necessary. Its results will make it clear whether these panels will be used from concept to real world or not.
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