Riyadh: A team of international researchers led by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and including researchers from King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) has developed a new composite material that enhances the performance of solar cells. Solar cells with the material functioning for weeks exhibited higher power output and longer operation times than solar cells without it. Additionally, the material is cheap to fabricate and reduces the cost of maintaining solar cells. The study can be read in Materials Science and Engineering: R.
According to Saudi Press Agency, solar energy is a significant part of Saudi Arabia's commitment to a net-zero carbon economy, but it also presents significant challenges. Commercial solar panels convert about 20% of the sun's rays into electricity. The rest is absorbed as heat or reflected. Moreover, the heat reduces the performance and lifespan of solar cells, meaning the cells must be replaced sooner than they otherwise would. Cooling the solar cells, therefore, is necessary; however, cooling systems like fans and pumps themselves require electricity. Passive cooling, on the other hand, does not.
KAUST Professor Qiaoqiang Gan, who led the study, said, "We specialize in nanomaterials that enable passive cooling. These materials are thin and can be placed on different systems that require cooling to operate, like greenhouses and solar cells, without affecting performance." Gan and his colleagues prepared a composite material that absorbs moisture from the air at night and releases it during the day. The scientists found that adhering the material to solar cells operating in coastal Saudi Arabia for weeks keeps the cells cooler while increasing their power output and lifespan. Additionally, passive cooling reduced the electricity generation cost of the solar cells by 18%.
In addition to Saudi Arabia, experiments were conducted in some of the coolest parts of the mainland United States under rainfall to prove that the passive cooling technology works in any environment, the release said.
Senior Researcher and head of the National Center for Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials at KACST Professor Abdulrahman Albadri affirmed that this study aligns with KACST's role in supporting the Kingdom's Vision 2030 energy sector goals, which aim to increase the share of renewable energy in total electricity production.
He said: "The developed material has proven effective in solar cell applications in general, particularly in solar cell systems developed in KACST laboratories, where the temperature of the cells becomes extremely high due to concentrated light." He added that the material has other applications, such as light emitters, which typically suffer from reduced efficiency at high temperatures. Preliminary studies on these applications have shown promising results."
Director of the KACST-University of California, Santa Barbara Joint Center of Excellence for III-N Semiconductors and Photonics, and co-author of the study Dr. Abdullah AlMoqbel emphasized that as a national laboratory, KACST places great importance on research conducted in cleanroom laboratories, in line with national priorities in the fields of energy and industry.
He added that the developed material offers a low-cost solution to cooling challenges in solar energy projects within the Kingdom and internationally while unlocking new possibilities for lighting and laser technology applications.