Solar panels working at night. Free Technical Library News

NEWS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, NOVELTY IN ELECTRONICS
Free technical library / timeline

Solar panels working at night

19.04.2022

Scientists at Stanford University have developed solar panels that can generate electricity at night when the sun has already set. To do this, they assembled a structure from conventional solar panels and a thermoelectric generator.

Given that any matter with a temperature above absolute zero radiates heat into the atmosphere, the proposed design allows it to be captured - from the solar panels themselves.

By "capturing" the temperature difference between the ambient air and the panels, the thermoelectric generator receives the necessary electricity.

Stanford University engineers managed to collect up to 50 milliwatts per square meter of solar panels placed on the roof of the university buildings.

Experts believe that they will be able to double the figure with a theoretical limit of 1-2 watts per square meter. This is not much, but for some tasks it is more than enough.

<< Back: Honor Superfast 100W Wireless Charging 19.04.2022

>> Forward: Reusable pollen paper 18.04.2022

Latest news of science and technology, new electronics:

Machine for thinning flowers in gardens 02.05.2024

In modern agriculture, technological progress is developing aimed at increasing the efficiency of plant care processes. The innovative Florix flower thinning machine was presented in Italy, designed to optimize the harvesting stage. This tool is equipped with mobile arms, allowing it to be easily adapted to the needs of the garden. The operator can adjust the speed of the thin wires by controlling them from the tractor cab using a joystick. This approach significantly increases the efficiency of the flower thinning process, providing the possibility of individual adjustment to the specific conditions of the garden, as well as the variety and type of fruit grown in it. After testing the Florix machine for two years on various types of fruit, the results were very encouraging. Farmers such as Filiberto Montanari, who has used a Florix machine for several years, have reported a significant reduction in the time and labor required to thin flowers. ... >>

Advanced Infrared Microscope 02.05.2024

Microscopes play an important role in scientific research, allowing scientists to delve into structures and processes invisible to the eye. However, various microscopy methods have their limitations, and among them was the limitation of resolution when using the infrared range. But the latest achievements of Japanese researchers from the University of Tokyo open up new prospects for studying the microworld. Scientists from the University of Tokyo have unveiled a new microscope that will revolutionize the capabilities of infrared microscopy. This advanced instrument allows you to see the internal structures of living bacteria with amazing clarity on the nanometer scale. Typically, mid-infrared microscopes are limited by low resolution, but the latest development from Japanese researchers overcomes these limitations. According to scientists, the developed microscope allows creating images with a resolution of up to 120 nanometers, which is 30 times higher than the resolution of traditional microscopes. ... >>

Air trap for insects 01.05.2024

Agriculture is one of the key sectors of the economy, and pest control is an integral part of this process. A team of scientists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Potato Research Institute (ICAR-CPRI), Shimla, has come up with an innovative solution to this problem - a wind-powered insect air trap. This device addresses the shortcomings of traditional pest control methods by providing real-time insect population data. The trap is powered entirely by wind energy, making it an environmentally friendly solution that requires no power. Its unique design allows monitoring of both harmful and beneficial insects, providing a complete overview of the population in any agricultural area. “By assessing target pests at the right time, we can take necessary measures to control both pests and diseases,” says Kapil ... >>

The threat of space debris to the Earth's magnetic field 01.05.2024

More and more often we hear about an increase in the amount of space debris surrounding our planet. However, it is not only active satellites and spacecraft that contribute to this problem, but also debris from old missions. The growing number of satellites launched by companies like SpaceX creates not only opportunities for the development of the Internet, but also serious threats to space security. Experts are now turning their attention to the potential implications for the Earth's magnetic field. Dr. Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics emphasizes that companies are rapidly deploying satellite constellations, and the number of satellites could grow to 100 in the next decade. The rapid development of these cosmic armadas of satellites can lead to contamination of the Earth's plasma environment with dangerous debris and a threat to the stability of the magnetosphere. Metal debris from used rockets can disrupt the ionosphere and magnetosphere. Both of these systems play a key role in protecting the atmosphere and maintaining ... >>

Solidification of bulk substances 30.04.2024

There are quite a few mysteries in the world of science, and one of them is the strange behavior of bulk materials. They may behave like a solid but suddenly turn into a flowing liquid. This phenomenon has attracted the attention of many researchers, and we may finally be getting closer to solving this mystery. Imagine sand in an hourglass. It usually flows freely, but in some cases its particles begin to get stuck, turning from a liquid to a solid. This transition has important implications for many areas, from drug production to construction. Researchers from the USA have attempted to describe this phenomenon and come closer to understanding it. In the study, the scientists conducted simulations in the laboratory using data from bags of polystyrene beads. They found that the vibrations within these sets had specific frequencies, meaning that only certain types of vibrations could travel through the material. Received ... >>

Random news from the Archive

Private spacecraft reached the ISS 03.10.2013

Private astronautics once again pleases with its achievements. The new private transport spacecraft Cygnus has docked with the ISS, and its unloading has begun.
Docking developed by Orbital Sciences Corp. the ship took place on September 29, and now all the details of this mission are known. First of all, it is now clear that private companies can take over the supply of orbital stations, theoretically including the distant settlements planned by NASA, located beyond the orbit of the moon.

ISS crew member Luca Parmitano docked the Cygnus unmanned cargo ship to the orbital laboratory using the Canadarm 2 robotic arm. This docking method has almost become standard for private traders who do not yet have their own reliable automatic docking systems.

Cygnus launched on September 18 and reached the ISS 4 days later (the ship was waiting for Soyuz with three cosmonauts to dock with the ISS). Cygnus delivered 590kg of food, clothing and special treats to the ISS for the astronauts who helped Orbital Sciences navigate their spacecraft. On Monday, the unloading of the transport ship began.

The flight was generally successful, but there were also problems: the controllers found a discrepancy in the navigation data between the instruments of the ISS and the spacecraft. This turned out to be a software error that was eliminated from Earth.

The successful docking of a private spacecraft with the ISS is the second after a similar mission by SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft. Now NASA has two companies capable of delivering a significant payload into orbit. Starting from the fall of 2013, Orbital Sciences plans to deliver about 8 tons of cargo to the ISS with the help of Cygnus in 20 missions.

Unlike the Dragon, the Cygnus is not designed to de-orbit payloads. Like the Russian Progress, the Orbital Sciences ship burns up when it enters the planet's atmosphere. After unloading, debris will be transferred to Cygnus, on October 22 the ship will undock and begin its descent into the atmosphere. As experts joke, Cygnus, along with Russian "Progress", Japanese "HTV" and European ATV are the most expensive self-destructing trash cans in the world.

Cygnus consists of a service module and a pressurized transport module with a volume of 20-27 cubic meters. The spacecraft is capable of delivering food, water, fuel, spare parts and other cargo weighing 2-2,7 tons necessary for the operation of the ISS to low-Earth orbit. The spacecraft is powered by solar panels with a total power of 3,5 kW; Cygnus is launched into orbit by the Orbital Sciences Antares launch vehicle, capable of delivering up to 5000 kg of payload to low Earth orbit.

See full Archive of science and technology news, new electronics

All languages of this page

Home page | Library | Articles | Website map | Site Reviews