Researchers at the Institute of Materials Science of Seville have used a perovskite-based solar panel that can create electricity from the rain. They created a nanometer-thin film that covers the panel and when drops hit the panel it causes a tiny amount electricity to be produced. As a bonus the film provides protection to the panel, which the perovskite panels needs since the material is more fragile than your standard solar cell.

A decade ago we looked at perovskite , and it’s really neat to see this technology continue to improve.

This extremely thin film plays a dual role. First, it acts as an encapsulant that protects the perovskite cells’ chemistry while also increasing their light absorption. In addition to this, the layer acts like a triboelectric surface – one that can convert kinetic energy into electrical energy.
In experiments conducted at the ICMS facility, the researchers found that a single raindrop could generate a potential difference of 110 V, sufficient to power a small portable device.
“Our work proposes an advanced solution that combines perovskite solar cell photovoltaic technology with triboelectric nanogenerators in a thin-film configuration, thus demonstrating the feasibility of implementing both energy harvesting systems,” said Carmen Lopez, a researcher at ICMS, who was involved in the work in the press release.

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Thanks to Mike!

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