Do solar panels harbor microbial communities?

Here we show that solar panels in a Mediterranean city (Valencia, Spain) harbor a highly diverse microbial community with more than 500 different species per panel, most of which belong to drought-, heat- and radiation-adapted bacterial genera, and sun-irradiation adapted epiphytic fungi.

Are solar panel bacteria extremophile?

A review of the ecology of the main bacterial taxa we identified gives more insights of the extremophile character of the solar panel bacteriome. Indeed, several of the most frequent Deinococcus spp. and other solar-panel bacteria have been described as inhabitants of relatively mild desertic areas as well as polar environments.

Are solar panels microbial?

Microorganisms colonize a wide range of natural and artificial environments although there are hardly any data on the microbial ecology of one the most widespread man-made extreme structures: solar panels.

Does microbial colonization affect the efficiency of photovoltaic panels?

Shirakawa, M. A. et al. Microbial colonization affects the efficiency of photovoltaic panels in a tropical environment. J. Environ. Manage. 157, 160–167 (2015). Sim, K. et al. Improved detection of bifidobacteria with optimised 16S rRNA-gene based pyrosequencing. PLoS One 7, e32543, 10.1371/journal.pone.0032543 (2012).

Do solar panel microorganisms adapt to sun exposure?

The detailed analysis of the habitats where the solar panel microorganisms have previously been detected indicates their strong adaptation to sun exposure, which can only be partially reproduced by stress characterization on pure microbial cultures.

What makes a solar panel a unique biotope?

Solar panels are unique biotopes characterized by a smooth flat glass or glass-like surface, minimum water retention capacity and maximum sunlight exposure, all of which determine circadian and annual peaks of irradiation, desiccation and heat.