• About
    • Residential
    • Commercial
    • Build Partner
    • Sales Partner
    • Blog
  • Case Studies
  • Contact
  • 888.38.SOLAR
  • Service: 561.210.7143
Partner Application
Partner Portal
  • About
    • Residential
    • Build Partner
    • Commercial
    • Sales Partner
    • Blog
  • Case Studies
  • Contact
Partner Portal Partner Application
Call Us Now +1 888.38.SOLAR
Home Privacy Policy Terms and Conditions

Categories

  • News
  • Solar Industry

Posted Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Could Solar Panels Generate Power at Night? It Could Be Possible!

Exciting new research within the walls of Stanford University suggests that solar panels could, in theory, produce a relatively small amount of electricity even when the sun isn’t shining.

You read that correctly: soon, solar panels could be used to produce a flow of electrons even in complete darkness.

Right now, this idea is in its infancy, and only prototypes that show proof-of-concept have been developed. However, the science is there, the math checks out, and engineers are getting progressively more excited about it.

It may seem counterintuitive to think that a solar panel could make electricity out of anything but direct sunlight. That is until you learn the science behind radiative cooling.

How It Might Work

As you may already know, photovoltaic (PV) solar panels are just large-scale photodiodes. That means they rely on the constant bombardment of photons to ‘excite’ the electrons in a substrate material (most commonly silicon).

Obviously, at night, there aren’t nearly as many photons as would be needed to produce electricity in this way. However, there is heat that is being radiated out from the Earth’s surface into deep space.

Image credit: Santhanam & Fan, Phys. Rev. B, 2016

This kind of heat could—again, in theory—be used to excite a diode that responded to infrared heat energy and not photonic light energy.

The concept of thermoradiative cells has already been proven out in industrial environments where, for example, the infrared energy produced by the heat from a large motor is used to generate electricity on its own.

The challenge is porting this concept to the world of residential- and commercial-scale renewable energy, a task that is much easier said than done.

At Urban Solar, We’re Ready for the Future of Solar Power

Few things get us as excited as the prospect of quantum leaps in the solar power industry.

While we may not currently be able to provide you with solar panels that can produce electricity at night, we’re going to be first in line if and when these products hit the market.

Until then, we’re still passionate about helping home and business owners tap the power of the sun to reduce their electricity bills. To learn more about how you can start saving, contact Urban Solar today.

PREVIOUS POST
NEXT POST

Related Posts

Back to Blog Home

posted Friday, July 8, 2022

Want To Feel Free From Utility Bills?

If you want a long-term solution to save money and save the...

READ MORE

posted Monday, June 1, 2020

Roof Repair and Solar Panels: What You Need to Know

We’ve been getting a particular question a lot lately from new Urban...

READ MORE
Saving with Solar - An Example

posted Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Is It Really Worth It to ‘Go Solar’ in 2020?

It seems like every solar power company on the planet has some...

READ MORE
Who We Work With
Become a Partner
®
Back to Top
  • Purchase Solar
    • Solutions for Homeowners
    • Solutions for Businesses
  • Partnership Program
    • Become a Sales Partner
    • Become a Build Partner
  • About
    • Case Studies
    • Contact
    • Blog
  • Business Hours
    • Monday – Friday
    • 9:00am – 5:00pm

    Contact

  • Toll-Free +1 888.38.SOLAR
  • Local 561.609.2664
  • Email info@urbansolar.com

©2023 Urban Solar. All Rights Reserved

FL License # CVC56948, EC13005324