The addition of microscopically thin graphene layers to solar panels is a wonderful innovation but there are still years of research ahead.
Graphene solar panels rain.
Chinese scientists have discovered a way for solar cells to generate power via rain.
The research done by the chinese team shows promise as a proof of concept but they were only able to achieve about a 6 5 efficiency in the rain compared to the typical average 20 25 efficiency that.
Since scientists and researchers are stretching graphene s performance to actively collecting energy from rainwater they were able to produce hundreds of microvolts from the water and reach 6 53 percent.
When covered with graphene the solar cells interact with raindrops to create electricity.
April 6 2016 source.
Graphene layer could allow solar cells to generate power when it rains.
The resulting all weather solar cell concept was then equipped to produce power from both sunshine and the rain substitute.
What s happening here is that the positively charged ions are binding to the ultra thin layer of graphene and forming a double layer technically referred to as a pseudocapacitor with the electrons already present.
A breakthrough in graphene based solar panels could change all that by allowing solar panels to generate electricity during inclement weather.