New Discovery! Leaf-Like PV Devices Can Generate More Power Than Solar Panels

Imperial College of London published a press release underscoring the discovery of a bio-inspired photovoltaic leaf that can produce more power than solar panels.

The new solar power generating device is inspired by nature and has excellent capacity to produce electricity using sunlight.

The researchers used low-cost materials in the manufacturing of the PV leaf. They believe that this technology would inspire next-generation renewable energy innovations.

The Head of the Clean Energy Processes Laboratory, Professor Christos Markides, said;

“Implementing this innovative leaf-like design could help expedite the global energy transition, while addressing two pressing global challenges: the need for increased energy and freshwater”.

The researchers at Imperial College London conducted a series of experiments to ensure the efficiency of the solar leaf. It was found that a solar leaf can produce over 10% more power compared to traditional solar panels.

Conventional solar panels exhibit a drawback as they release 70% of the generated electricity into the environment, reducing their overall efficiency rate.

The new solar leaf design utilizes all the incoming solar rays and transforms them into electricity and freshwater.

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According to researchers, the PV leaf does not need pumps, fans, control units, and expensive porous materials. Moreover, they can produce additional clean water and thermal energy. The solar leaf is smart enough to adapt to ambient temperature and solar condition variations.

The nature-inspired structure of the solar leaf is straightforward to understand. A plant leaf has a proper vascular system for the transportation of water. As we water the plants, the transportation system picks up the water and circulates it from the roots to the leaves via transpiration.

Solar leaf has a similar structure as that of natural leaf. It mimics the physiology of plants and moves, distributes, and evaporates the water.

The natural fibers in the PV leaf mimic the vein bundles, while hydrogels simulate sponge cells, so a PV leaf can effectively and affordably remove heat from solar PV cells.

Dr Gan Huang, Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Chemical Engineering and author of the study, said: “This innovative design holds tremendous potential for significantly enhancing the performance of solar panels while also ensuring cost-effectiveness and practicality.”

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Professor Christos Markides, Head of the Clean Energy Processes Laboratory and author of the study, said: “Implementing this innovative leaf-like design could help expedite the global energy transition, while addressing two pressing global challenges: the need for increased energy and freshwater.”

It is estimated that if the PV leaf technology is adopted to achieve solar panel targets by 2050, it could also have the capacity to generate more than 40 billion cubic meters of freshwater each year.