365Telugu.com online news,Hyderabad,April 20th,2025: In a breakthrough that could revolutionize renewable energy, researchers at Stanford University have developed a new technology that allows solar panels to generate electricity even during the night using moonlight and radiative cooling.
Traditionally, solar panels depend entirely on sunlight, making them ineffective after dusk. However, the Stanford research team, led by Professor Shanhui Fan, has found a way to utilize the natural heat radiation from the Earth’s surface into the night sky to produce power — a phenomenon known as radiative cooling.
This innovative approach, popularly dubbed as “moonlight solar panels”, involves attaching thermoelectric generators to standard solar panels. These devices capture heat energy that dissipates from the Earth’s surface into space at night, thereby generating small but useful amounts of electricity.
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How It Works
On a clear night, the Earth radiates infrared energy into space. This creates a temperature difference between the solar panel surface and the surrounding air. The thermoelectric generators harness this difference to create electricity — up to 50 milliwatts per square meter.
While this output is far lower than the 200 watts per square meter produced by traditional panels during the day, it is enough to power small electronics like LEDs and environmental sensors, the researchers said.
Moonlight Panels: A Game-Changer for Energy Access
Professor Fan emphasized that the new components can be retrofitted into existing solar systems, making this a cost-effective upgrade for improving energy availability during the night or overcast days.
“The technology could be particularly impactful in off-grid regions, where battery storage is often expensive and environmentally damaging due to mineral extraction,” he noted.
By directly powering IoT devices, sensors, and other low-power electronics without batteries, the new panels could reduce dependency on chemical storage and lower the environmental footprint of renewable systems.
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Future of Sustainable Energy
Though still in its early stages, the technology has immense potential to enhance the reliability of solar energy, especially in regions with limited sunlight or prolonged periods of shade and cloud cover.
The researchers believe that nighttime solar panels could bridge the energy gap during non-daylight hours, making solar power a more consistent and accessible energy source across the globe.