CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Solar power without the sun?
Let's connect the dots.
The Biden Administration is pushing for a green economy with renewable energy technologies like electric vehicles and solar panels.
Now scientists at Stanford University have designed a solar panel that can produce electricity at night, creating a 24-hour source of green power.
The Stanford team used a device that acts like a hydroelectric dam, producing electricity from the heat that flows from the warmer nighttime air to the cooler panel.
WCNC Charlotte is part of seven major media companies and other local institutions producing I Can’t Afford to Live Here, a collaborative reporting project focused on solutions to the affordable housing crisis in Charlotte. It is a project of the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative, which is supported by the Local Media Project, an initiative launched by the Solutions Journalism Network with support from the Knight Foundation to strengthen and reinvigorate local media ecosystems. See all of our reporting at charlottejournalism.org.
This technology generates only a small amount of power, enough to light some LEDs or charge a cellphone. But it could be used by the roughly 1 billion people who are not on the grid.
And while it may not be ready to roll out to the mass public now, researchers say it's another step forward on the path to sustainable, green energy.
Wake Up Charlotte To Go is a daily news and weather podcast you can listen to so you can start your day with the team at Wake Up Charlotte.
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Stitcher || TuneIn || Google Podcasts
All of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere.