Solar power has many advantages as a method of electricity generation. It is a renewable and highly abundant resource, sustainable, and does not produce pollution. However, there are some disadvantages, such as the need for expensive batteries and its intermittent nature.
Anti-Solar Cells
Jeremy Munday, a professor at the University of California Davis, is developing a prototype for an “anti-solar” cell that could generate power at night.
How Does the Process Work?
Traditional solar panels work by converting sunlight into energy, while anti-solar cells would use the earth as a heat source and the night sky as a heat sink to generate power.
The Benefits of Anti-Solar Cells
Munday’s cells could solve the storage problem for solar energy and work 24/7, potentially helping to balance out the power grid over a day-to-night cycle and achieve carbon neutrality.
Limitations
At the moment, the prototype only produces about 25% of the energy that traditional solar panels produce in a day, but further development is expected to improve their efficiency.
