Solar generation, including distributed, is expected to increase to 48% by 2050 from 11% of the total US renewable generation in 2017, according to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. Adopting solar-powered electricity is one of the best green practices to save money on energy consumption. In the last decade, solar power and storage cost has reduced drastically, allowing consumers to access cheap and greener electricity. Furthermore, technologies to harvest solar energy have also expanded, transforming how we produce and use solar energy at home and within business premises. Here are some of the latest solar technologies revolutionizing renewable energy around the world.
Anti-Solar Panels
As the name suggests, anti-solar panels don’t draw energy from the sun. Instead, they generate electricity at night. Anti-solar or reverse solar panel technology uses the same principle as traditional solar systems to harvest energy that radiates from the surface of the earth in the form of infrared light. These new devices can produce an estimated 25% of the electricity generated by conventional solar panels during the day. Although the amount seems small, it marks an increase in solar farm energy because current anti-solar panels are not utilized at night.
BIPV Solar Technology
Building-integrated photovoltaics or BIPV is a new application transforming how we install solar panels. Ideally, BIPVs are designed to replace conventional building materials while generating solar energy for your home. Compared to traditional solar systems, BIPVs feature attractive aesthetics, allowing you to customize your home’s design.
As Freedom Solar Power states, solar installation is custom and begins with understanding your goals. So, depending on your taste, you can integrate BIPV solar panels designed as canopies, skylight systems, roofs, and facades without compromising design. There are many benefits linked to building-integrated photovoltaics, like high energy efficiency and zero-carbon emission. Replacing standard construction materials with BIPV also reduces building costs, preventative maintenance of the solar panel and solar installation expenses.
Floatovoltaics
Floatovoltaics are recent developments of photovoltaic panels installed on water bodies like dams and water reservoirs. Installing floating solar farms is cheap as they don’t require large land to function. Additionally, these panels produce a lot of solar energy with greater efficiency of up to 10%. This is due to the cooling effect water provides.
Thanks to advanced technology, people no longer rely only on ground-mounted and rooftop panels to generate solar electricity. Today, solar panels have advanced in ways that allow homeowners to integrate them into homes as facades, curtain walls, canopies, and roofs. Even more appealing, photovoltaic panels can now be placed on large water bodies to create floating solar farms. Other solar tech innovations include solar skins, anti-solar panels, and solar fabric.