Moth Eyes Solar Panels

Speaking with electronics weekly silva added moths eyes have microscopic patterning that allows them to see in the dimmest conditions.

Moth eyes solar panels.

The design of the moth s eye might also be applied to solar power. Researchers at north carolina state university are looking to biomimicry to solve one of thin film solar technology s biggest problems. Moth eyes absorb almost all incident light thus reducing reflection that predators would notice. Scientists at brookhaven national laboratory have developed a way to create an ultra tiny texture on silicon which is the most common material for solar panels that cuts down on a solar panel s reflection in the same way that a moth s eyes operate.

The eyes of the common moth have led to a novel discovery that could boost the efficiency of solar panels. When scientists at the oak ridge national lab went rifling through nature s drawers on their hunt for a more efficient solar panel they missed the eye of newt but they did find inspiration in a. Light reflection between films that causes light to be lost. Silicon solar panels may reflect as much as 35 percent of light a significant waste of potential energy.

The japanese moth eye film based on the results of indoor and outdoor tests of crystalline silicon solar panels coated with the film the team s computer models indicated that use of the film could. Researchers look to nature to improve solar power efficiency basically the moth s compound eye has textured patterns that are made up of tiny posts each one smaller than the wavelength of light. Researchers have now used the moth eye structure as the basis of a highly efficient solar absorbing. The creature which they mimicked is the moth or its eyes to be more precise.

The paper like panels will be designed. These work by channelling light towards the middle of the. Moths have evolved to absorb the maximum amount of light in order to see in the dark and researchers are using this technique to create solar wallpaper. When light hits their eyes much of it is absorbed and passes into its cornea without disruption or reflection.