How Red Onion Dye Could Revolutionize Solar Panel Longevity
Haley Zaremba

Solar energy continues to break records around the world thanks to dramatically decreasing costs of deployment. A supportive policy environment and rapid advancements in technology have made solar photovoltaics one of the cheapest forms of energy out there, and as a result, solar power is on track to become the single largest renewable source on the planet by the end of the decade, even overtaking hydropower. But even greater growth will be necessary to reach net zero emissions by 2030, and in light of souring policy environments, technological innovations will be more necessary than ever to guide the hand of the market toward decarbonization.

Luckily, innovation is already ongoing. Many labs around the world are working on reshaping solar energy to be more efficient, more cost-effective, and more practical in hugely diverse ways. Scientists are looking into ways to redesign solar panels using materials that allow for greater efficiency and lower costs. Most panels are currently made using silicone, but other materials such as perovskite – which functions like a thin-film semiconductor – could offer significant advantages over current models. The problem with perovskite is that its chemistry is less stable than silicone, “which has historically presented scalability and commercialization challenges” according to Utility Drive.

For this reason, tandem solar panels – which feature a combination of silicone and perovskite – have emerged as one of the most promising solar cell manufacturing innovations. And the competition to bring them to market is heating up as a number of research teams are announcing successful testing of their respective tandem models.

Scientists are also working to find ways to improve the longevity of solar cells. While ultraviolet light is essential to the functioning of solar panels, it also breaks them down over time. The current technology to fight this degradation depends on petroleum-based products, which works against the full life-cycle sustainability of solar energy. Plus, extending the life of solar panels will help to mitigate the increasingly critical issue of solar panel waste.

A team of scientists in Finland may have just discovered a high-performance eco-friendly material to replace those petroleum-based protections – and it comes from an extremely unlikely source. According to a report from Live Science, “red onion dye could be the missing ingredient required to bolster ultraviolet (UV) protection for solar cells.” In fact, testing has shown that “combining nanocellulose with a dye made from red onion skin extract” has resulted in a stunning 99.9% protection rate from UV rays. 

Nanocellulose is another biologically-based material used as a film for solar panel protection. “In the quest to drive the adoption of film made from more sustainable, biologically-based materials, nanocellulose has emerged as a frontrunner,” reports Live Science. “Nanocellulose is derived from plant-based materials and is produced by breaking down cellulose into nanoscale fibers,” the article goes on to explain.

According to the scientists’ study, which was just published in the scientific journal ACS Applied Optical Materials, “UV−vis-NIR spectroscopy demonstrated that CNF-ROE blocked 99.9% of radiation below 400 nm, showcasing its superior UV-blocking capability compared to the other materials tested here.” One of the materials that this bio-filter outperformed is a commercial PET-based filter currently in use by solar panel manufacturers.

Adding to the excitement, the team reports that the technology could be particularly helpful in the context of perovskite solar cells, indicating a win-win for the future of more efficient and cost-effective solar panel design.

Such advances in solar panel design could be critical to continuing the clean energy transition’s forward momentum in a time of unprecedented uncertainty and political backpedalling. In order for solar power to continue its boom, increased adoption has to make economic sense – with or without policy supports. And that might not be too far-fetched. In fact, the Science Friday podcast posits that solar power’s continued rise could balance out other clean energy cuts, in a win for the clean energy sector and for the planet. 

By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com

Haley Zaremba is a writer and journalist based in Mexico City. She has extensive experience writing and editing environmental features, travel pieces, local news in the Bay Area, and music/culture reviews.

oilprice.com