Self-cleaning solar panel? New coating keeps dirt away

German research organization Fraunhofer has announced the creation of a new ultrathin coating that can transform solar panels and other surfaces. in self-cleaning.

The solution, which can benefit millions of photovoltaic panels worldwide, will be presented in April at BAU, the world’s largest architecture, materials and systems fair.

The rollout of new material could represent a significant subsidy for the deployment and open expansion of solar power on the planet, currently the largest source of renewable energy. This is because even the most modern solar panels cannot function properly when covered with dirt. and cleaning them regularly is sometimes impractical.

How does the coating make solar panels self-clean?

The secret of the Fraunhofer coating titanium oxideA sunscreen that, in its normal state, repels water and forms droplets that glide easily over surfaces. However, when the material is exposed to ultraviolet light, it changes its state and acquires a strong attraction to water, which keeps the surface constantly wet.

Self-cleaning solar panels are not an entirely new concept, but current models today typically have a water-repellent or water-repellent mechanism. but not both. In the Fraunhofer tests, the team used a pilot plant to produce thin glass rolls 30 cm wide, 20 meters long and just 100 micrometers thick. The titanium oxide coating has a thickness of up to 150 nm.

But the biggest difference of the new coating is that its mass production is designed with individual rolls. Can be placed over existing photovoltaic cells, windows and other surfaces. While the team reported in their research that thin glass is still brittle and vulnerable to heat, future production promises to address these limitations and explore the use of polymer films.