Researchers at the Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv have produced a solar panel consisting of 676 different materials that convert the sun’s energy into electricity. It is part of the new class of solar panels developed from AI-based materials science, which means that artificial intelligence (AI) designs the materials in the panels.
The AI design not only makes the solar production process more efficient but also cheaper.
The researchers are working to replace the silicon component of solar cells with their new materials to make solar panels more sustainable. Dr Hannah-Noa Barad of Bar-Ilan University, who conducted the research along with Bar-Ilan University President Prof. Arie Zaban, said that they are also researching how to convert carbon dioxide into usable fuel for the chemical industry.
“Thus, through the two technologies, solar energy and carbon dioxide recycling, we will be able to lower carbon dioxide emissions and switch to the green energy, something that will help solve the climate crisis in the future,” she explained.
By combining the two areas of solar energy and carbon dioxide recycling, this technology has the potential to significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions, thereby addressing the urgent climate crisis.
Dr Barad and her team are working to expand the use of solar energy by identifying different materials to replace the silicon component in solar cells to convert sunlight into electricity with an abundant, cheap, and efficient substitute for the production of these cells.
“We are also researching catalysts for recycling and conversion of carbon dioxide into usable fuel materials and value-added molecules for the chemical industry. Thus, through the two technologies, solar energy and carbon dioxide recycling, we will be able to lower carbon dioxide emissions and switch to the green energy, something that will help solve the climate crisis in the future,” said Barad.
The impact of their work has garnered recognition on an international level. During a recent visit to Washington, President Isaac Herzog presented US Vice President Kamala Harris with one of the newly developed solar panels. This gesture was meant to acknowledge her support for green energy and environmental practices.
AI is deepening its roots in the various industries including renewable energy sector, easing the challenges in renewable adoption, as well as making it cheaper. In an another instance, Aigen, a startup in the field of agricultural technology, introduced a groundbreaking solar-powered robotics platform that operates autonomously and can be scaled up easily.
