Making Energy From The Night Sky

//Solar Energy//

Solar energy production uses photovoltaic cells, absorbing energy from the sun and storing for usage later. In a nutshell, it is a great source of energy that has seen widespread use across the globe. Technology and science strives to improve all the time and go beyond limitations. With respect to solar energy, a key limitation lies in only being able to function under the sun in daytime conditions. This means that during the night, no energy is being produced and hours of functionality can vary depending on season. Science goes another step and seeks to push solar energy further by making it work at night.

//Night Energy//

Great minds at the University of Maryland have created the first night use solar cells that can still function during the night, generating smaller amounts of energy. Is this a worthy venture? It most definitely is! The cells are proposed to generate about 25% of potential energy in comparison to day time use cells under ideal conditions. In my view, starting with something out of nothing is the only way to progress onto greater things. While the generated amount is currently far less, it is a starting point that will bring extra power generation around the clock. The payback for this during winter seasons where days are short and the nights are long will be substantial.

//Reverse Inventions//

I’ve said it many times before, inventions aren’t always about reinventing the wheel but novel changes can make a world of difference. The night cells use the foundation of traditional photovoltaic cells and flip its concept of functionality on its head. They work in reverse by attempting to use emitted light, reversing both current and voltage for capture. Such devices would need to be improved to see widespread use but the start is what matters in the first instance.

//Efficiency and the Future//

Efficiency comes in stages and there’s no doubt that brilliant minds from all over will be interested to understand and help with this new form of night time energy production. Efficiency would further strengthen use cases that would constant operation. The technology can also be adapted to work in daytime conditions too but it remains to be seen how optimal the night photo cell can really be in a 24 hour period. Perhaps a hybrid system will come into existence, allowing an optimized configuration to generate maximum energy in both day and night. I look forward to seeing new and improved green energy solutions in the years to come.

Sources
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsphotonics.9b00679