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Clean energy is all the rage nowadays, but current technology limits its widespread adoption. Hydropower and wind are hard to exploit for most citizens, and solar energy, while more accessible, can still be very expensive to install.
Even though price was not a problem, current solar panel technology relies on constant sunlight to stay fully active. This is fine during the long summer days, but as the Starks say, the winter comes – and when it does, these expensive panels can become little more than roof decorations too expensive in some parts of the United States. This is mainly due to the shorter days of the season and the fact that even a light layer of snow can prevent a solar panel from generating energy.
Fortunately, an unconventional solution could be on the way. A team of researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) has developed a "snow-based triboelectric nanogenerator". The researchers shortened the name to "snow TENG".
So what exactly does this TENG on snow do? In short, it generates energy – you guessed it – snowfall. As the snow is positively charged, the researchers discovered that they could turn the material into snow into an oppositely charged material (as well as an electrode) to create static electricity when the snow comes in contact with it. .
"While the snow likes to give away electrons, the performance of the device depends on the efficiency of the other material to extract these electrons," explained UCLA University researcher, Maher El-Kady. "After testing a lot of materials, including aluminum foil and teflon, we found that silicone produced more charge than any other material."
Surprisingly, the generator does not require its own source of energy and is extremely affordable to create. It is also very thin and flexible, which should make it quite resistant to the elements. UCLA compares the design of the TENG snowboard to a "plastic sheet" (no picture has been provided yet).
El-Kady says that the TENG on snow could be implemented in existing solar panel panels, effectively giving regions with green energy all year round, a strong summer and winter season.
To be clear, this technology is still in its infancy and is probably far from effective at the moment. As such, do not expect to be able to go to the store and take your own TENG on snow anytime soon. Nevertheless, it is interesting to think that snow energy could eventually become a viable alternative to wind, solar and hydro power.
Getty courtesy image via Gizmodo
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