Falling Snow Can Become An Energy Source For Solar Panels

Indira Datta - Apr 23, 2019

Scientists at UCLA took another step in the right direction recently, with a generator powered by falling snow of all things.

The sun in the winter cannot provide enough energy that we need to fight the cold. But using firewood to keep our home warm brings immeasurable consequences for the future. Therefore, it is crucial to have renewable energy.

Snow Teng Generator 1 — Solar panels have always been useless in the snowy season.

Scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles have developed generators that use snowfall as an energy source. The snow itself is positively charged when it falls from the sky, so scientists used a negatively charged plate to capture electrons. And static electricity will be formed when the two charges come in contact.

Maxresdefault 3 — The solar panel can now use snow as a source to generate energy.

Maher El-Kady, the co-author of the invention, said:

Fortunately, silicone is a relatively inexpensive and easy-to-make material. In addition, this machine is also capable of reporting weather conditions by accurately predicting rain and wind.

Solar Panels Snow Gettyimages 503513370 Skatzenber — Solar panels often have trouble generating power in areas that experience abundant snowfall ás the snow blocks out the sunlight.

We do know that solar panels cannot provide people with energy all year round. They are almost useless on cloudy days and especially in snowy weather. Panels are often buried in the snow, which prevents them from collecting the sunlight. This UCLA device can be integrated into a solar panel and provides energy to people living in areas where frequent snowfall occurs.

Scientists hope that this invention will have great potential and be widely used. The application of their technology is multi-faceted. The device can be used to generate power for wearable devices so that users just need to turn on and use without worrying that they would run out of energy.