Elon Musk unveiled a new generation of solar panels that can produce electricity at night yesterday at the Tesla Giga plant in Nevada, USA. The combination of AI technology, solar cells, and a lab-developed chronolithyst crystal coating allows these unique panels to convert bright moonlight into useable electricity. This is a significant advancement in solar technology that could hasten the energy transition.
The fact that conventional solar power systems can only produce solar power during specific hours of the day and when there are as few clouds in the sky as possible is one of their main issues. PV system and balcony power plant customers are required to utilize their own storage system or purchase electricity from the grid operator after sunset. Nevertheless, many users do not use storage because of its costly cost, and during some seasons—such as fall and winter—the battery frequently runs out of juice due to the short days and overcast skies.
First breakthrough at Stanford University
Despite a lot of scepticism, a number of scientists have been working on lunar photovoltaics for some time, and in 2023, researchers at Stanford University announced their first success: They have succeeded in modifying solar cells in such a way that, under certain conditions, they are also able to generate electricity at night.
During the day, the light from the sun hits the solar cell, but on a bright night with a full moon, something similar takes place. The photons that escape into the night sky are too weak to affect a conventional PV system. But we were aware of the potential, and there had to be a way to take advantage of it.
Remus Lupin of the Stanford University research team working on solar power in the dark
AI robot develops light-amplifying chronolithyst crystal
Elon Musk, who was busy developing his Tesla solar roof, heard about Remus Lupin’s research last year and backed the project to the tune of $128 million. The generous investment enabled the use of a new AI robot, Hermion-G, which served as an autonomous chemist and made the crucial discovery of the synthetic crystal Chronolithyst.
The crystalline material developed in the laboratory has light-amplifying properties and its molecular structure causes resonant absorption of photons in the ultraviolet and infrared. This feature significantly increases the sensitivity of solar panels, enabling them to use moonlight, which is normally too low in energy to generate electricity. In this process, AI plays a central role. It analyses light conditions in real time and optimises the orientation of the solar modules. To maximise the absorption of moonlight, algorithms dynamically adjust the coating.
0.5 to 1.2 kWh of electricity per full moon night
0.5 to 1.2 kWh of electricity per full moon night So far, only particularly bright moonlight, when the moon is at least half full, has produced acceptable electricity yields. If the crescent is only a thin one, it will not be quite enough. However, on a clear night with a full moon, the new panel can generate around 0.5 to 1.2 kWh of electricity per night.
There is no word yet on when the new panel will be ready or how much it will cost, but Elon Musk is expecting the first deliveries to be around the beginning of 2025. To all readers who have made it to the end of this article despite the various oddities, NBC wishes you a happy 1st of April. This article is just an April Fools’ joke! But you can still have dreams 😉
