US researchers have invented a nanogenerator that could one day be added to solar panels to keep them producing energy when covered in snow.
The team, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), designed the snow-powered tiny device to take advantage of the energy-producing potential of snow.
They call their invention a snow-based triboelectric nanogenerator, or snow TENG. It will generate energy by making use of static electricity.
Device would generate electricity from snow
The snow TENG is made of silicone, a material that has a negative charge. Snow is positively charged, so when they come into contact, they exchange electrons and produce energy.
"Snow is already charged, so we thought, why not bring another material with the opposite charge and extract the charge to create electricity"" said chemistry and biochemisty researcher Maher El-Kady, a member of the team and a co-author on the report they have published in the journal Nano Energy. Snow TENG could be used to generate electricity and for fitness tracking. Image courtesy of UCLA
Although the snow TENG only produces small amounts of electricity, the team says that one day it could be useful as a complementary technology in solar panels. Snowfall generally disrupts the functioning of solar panels, since even when the sun does emerge on grey wintry days, it can't reach the device.
With snow TENG built in, a continuous power supply could be possible.
Snow TENG could be used for fitness...