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A single raindrop could generate a potential difference of 110 V, sufficient to power a small portable device.
A perovskite-based hybrid device developed by researchers at the Institute of Materials Science of Seville (ICMS) in Spain can operate simultaneously in rain and sunshine, overcoming the hurdles of using solar cells in cloudy conditions.
The innovation is expected to boost deployments of the Internet of Things (IoT) and outdoor sensors used for monitoring structures and environmental conditions, a press release said. 
Advances in solar cell technology have brought us to this moment, where giant solar power plants harness solar energy to generate carbon-free electricity. However, we can tap only a fraction of the energy received from the Sun. 
Researchers are therefore working with perovskite materials that promise higher energy-conversion efficiencies than conventional solar cells. Their higher efficiency and low cost make perovskites a preferred choice, but these cells have reliability issues.
The innovation at ICMS of using the perovskite solar cell in the sun and rain addresses this shortcoming, too. 
ICMS researchers created a thin film that not only protects the perovskite cell but also enables it to generate electricity from falling raindrops. The team used plasma technology to build this film, which is no thicker than 100 nanometers. In comparison, an average human hair is 80,000 nanometers thick. 
This extremely thin film plays a dual role. First, it acts as an encapsulant that protects the perovskite cells’ chemistry while also increasing their light absorption. In addition to this, the layer acts like a triboelectric surface – one that can convert kinetic energy into electrical energy. 
In experiments conducted at the ICMS facility, the researchers found that a single raindrop could generate a potential difference of 110 V, sufficient to power a small portable device. 
“Our work proposes an advanced solution that combines perovskite solar cell photovoltaic technology with triboelectric nanogenerators in a thin-film configuration, thus demonstrating the feasibility of implementing both energy harvesting systems,” said Carmen Lopez, a researcher at ICMS, who was involved in the work in the press release. 
Conventional solar cells work great when the sun is shining. But during cloudy days, their performance and output drop. In parts of the world where rainfall is prolonged, this can be a major roadblock to their adoption.
By developing a device that works both in the rain and in the sun, ICMS researchers have helped overcome energy-autonomy issues across a wide range of applications. 
The researchers suggest that their innovation could help power a wide range of devices, such as LED circuits, even when immersed in water and help perovskite solar panels face fluctuations in temperature and humidity. 
“Our research highlights the potential of coatings deposited by plasma techniques as a multifunctional solution that protects sensitive energy devices and develops systems capable of collecting energy from different environmental sources, such as hybrid solar-rain panels, known as rain panels,” the researchers wrote in a paper. 
The research could also help power outdoor sensors used on mega structures, such as bridges, and environmental sensors used to predict weather or for precision agriculture. The Internet of Things (IoT) industry is also set to gain from this research. 
The research findings were published in the journal Nano Energy.
Ameya is a science writer based in Hyderabad, India. A Molecular Biologist at heart, he traded the micropipette to write about science during the pandemic and does not want to go back. He likes to write about genetics, microbes, technology, and public policy.
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