Can old solar panels be turned into energy-harvesting devices?

A team of Singapore scientists have developed a way to turn old, expired solar panels into useful energy-harvesting devices called thermoelectrics – which turns heat into electricity.

Can a compact thermoelectric generator convert solar energy into electricity?

The new study, published in Cell Reports Physical Science in March 2022 and carried out in collaboration with researchers in Shanghai, takes the solar energy system a step further, detailing how it can be combined with a compact thermoelectric generator to convert solar energy into electricity.

How does solar energy work?

Solar technologies track large amounts of the sun-based energy and use this energy for the production of heat, light, and power. Solar energy can be changed over straightforwardly into power by photovoltaic cells (solar cells) and thermal power through solar collectors.

Can solar energy be used to generate electricity?

The Swedish researchers sent their specially designed molecule, loaded with solar energy, to colleagues Tao Li and Zhiyu Hu at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, where the energy was released and converted into electricity using the generator they developed there.

What are photothermal conversions of solar energy?

Then, the state-of-the-art progress for photothermal conversions of solar energy is introduced in detail, mainly including photothermal water evaporation and desalination, photothermal catalysis, photothermal electric power generation, photothermal bacterial killing, photothermal sensors, and photothermal deicing.

Can old solar panels be recycled?

The precious metals found in old solar panels are typically recycled, but the silicon that makes up the bulk of these units usually goes to landfills. Ady Suwardi at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering in Singapore and his colleagues found a way to turn this waste silicon into high-performance thermoelectric materials.