Yes, you read that correctly. Onion skin could affect solar panels efficency.
The global energy industry has gone through a significant evolution over the past few decades. The renewable energy sector has become the main focus point for the vast majority of countries as they aim to meet their self-imposed clean energy and emission reduction targets.
How could onion skins affect the ever-growing solar energy industry?
How natural evolution is rewiring the power grid
The natural world around us has played a major role in our technological advancements in clean energy production.
The Rose Butterfly has tiny holes in its wings that enable the creature to soak up the solar rays of the sun more efficiently. This led engineers to copy the “nanostructure” of the butterfly and integrate it into the latest solar panel designs.
Even the wind energy sector has benefited from studying animal life, as the bumps on humpback whales’ flippers allow them to make very tight turns in the water.
The millions of wind turbines now use a similar design to get the most out of the airwaves that blow through the radio stations of life across the world. Wind turbines are now much more efficient and use smaller ridges to reduce drag when spinning.
The sun is the world’s primary power plant and panels still have more to give
We now understand that solar power is one of the most abundant forms of energy in the world.
In just one 90-minute cycle, the amount of solar energy that hits our planet is enough to power the entire world for an entire year. Solar power is the undisputed king of the renewable energy market.
It now accounts for over three-quarters of all new renewable energy capacity added to the global grid.
And a new ultra-thin solar cell material may be on the cards as our technological prowess improves. The reality is that most of our progress in science has come from the need to generate far more energy to power the world.
Traditional solar panels are often subjected to problems that arise from large-scale deployment, such as a new trend called “solar soiling”.
A recent breakthrough made in March of this year has proposed what could only be described as a revolutionary idea regarding how solar panels operate. A press release from the University of Turku has given some much-needed details on the new development.
From the pantry to power: Bio-shields are the next best thing
A new study published by the University of Turku has stated that bio-based material may offer our solar panels protection from UV light from the sun.
Scientists have found that by combining materials found in plant life and the natural dye extracted from red onion skins, they can create a super-thin transparent film that can help our solar panels avert the harmful UV light in solar energy.
99.9% UV protection: The super-thin film making solar panels hyper-efficient
The film that the team of researchers created blocked over 99.9% of the harmful UV radiation in solar energy.
It was actually so good at its job that it outperformed the current industry-standard petroleum-based filters. We now understand the dangers associated with oil refining and have waved a not-so-fond farewell to the conventional fossil fuel energy industry, and inspiration from nature is where the attention is focused.
The future applications of this new ultra-thin natural solar protection film could be world-changing as solar panels become much, much more efficient.
We have all grown weary of the monthly sky-high electric bills, and this new material may end up being intensely developed as an industry standard across the solar energy sector in the near future.