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It is widely known that the most popular use of solar panels is being installed on homes or commercial buildings but there are many creative ways solar panels can be incorporated in different sectors and industries. Here are 10 ways that solar panels are being utilised that you might not have thought about.
1. Solar Fabrics
As surprising as it sounds the fabric industry is taking advantage of the benefits of solar panels that are even being stitched into the fabric of clothing. Small solar panels are being ingrained into warm clothing to keep you even warmer by harnessing the power of the sun. Yes, even in winter time solar panels are capable of generating energy. Also, these tiny solar panels are also being used to power heated car seats.
2. Solar Skins
When thinking of solar panels we always think of a generic design but if you worry that your solar panels don’t fit in with the rest of your house aesthetic, you can always try solar skins.
Solar skins are a creative way to cover up your solar panels but won’t compromise your solar panels’ efficiency by still transmitting sunlight to the underneath panel. These solar skins are customised designs that can be your business logo or advertisements, if you are a homeowner you might even get paid for advertising.
3. Solar-Powered Roads
Solar-powered roads are capable of generating energy, lighting up at night and even evaporating snow and ice. This is essential in winter months to ensure roads are safer during winter time. However, online sources report that solar-powered roads are still being tested since there are many factors that affect the performance of solar panels. Such as panel angle, temperature, sunlight exposure and tracking and monitoring methods. If proven feasible the United Kingdom will benefit tremendously, especially when it snows as the current roads are not entirely equipped for heavy snowfall.
4. Floating Solar Farms
You might have heard in the news about solar farms located in the middle of the ocean. These “Floatovoltaics” as stated by ASME (The American Society of Mechanical Engineers) derived from the words “float” and “photovoltaic” are large solar power systems floating on water surfaces. Online sources state that these floating solar farms are 10 percent more efficient and produce more energy than solar panels located on land. The reason for this is the cooling effect of water.
5. Solar Storage
Normally when electricity is produced from solar panels it goes straight to use whether that is in a home for personal use or in a public building. But what if there was a way for excess electricity to be stored? Organisations are researching ways to store solar energy in a large proportion to be used when needed. This is different from a backup generator as it stores energy generated by fossil fuels.
6. Solar at Night
While solar panels can’t generate power throughout the night due to the lack of sun rays. Scientists have designed a new kind of solar panel that converts infrared light (found in the atmosphere and invisible to the human eye) to electricity during nighttime. Online sources reveal that even though this new solar panel only produces 25 percent of the total energy generated by a normal solar panel is still a significant amount. That extra 25 percent of energy has the potential to be stored or even contribute to the overall power grid to help with the inflation of utility bills.
Finding creative ways to generate more clean energy means that our reliance on the national grid and fossil fuels will decline and energy bills will drop. Ways such as solar fabrics, solar skins, solar-powered roads, floating solar farms, solar storage and producing energy at times are only just the beginning for a more sustainable future for generations to come.