In the middle of the energy transition, a solar energy panel made with powder Luna. It is a hyper-powerful sphere that surprises. Plates that work at night have caused a great revolution, the same thing that will happen with this new model. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA, the abbreviation in English) warns that solar and wind energy must be a priority for the next six years, that is, until 2030.
This request meets the purpose set out in the Paris Agreement celebrated in 2015 to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5ºC. IRENE’s position was captured in the report Global view on energy transitions 2022 presented at the conference Dialogue on the energy transition in Berlin.
The aforementioned document states that solar energy is one of the forms of energy that has the least impact on the environment, as no energy, no matter how renewable, is completely free of environmental impact.
Solar panel made with moon dust, an invention of Blue Origin
Blue origin has found a way to make cheap solar panels in the Luna. A team of engineers from the company has fabricated solar cells and cables from lunar regolith. Last year, the company published on its website the achievement of its engineers, who managed to create functional solar panels using dust from the lunar surface.
Although this idea is gaining recognition through the work of Blue origin, is not new. Lunar regolith is an abundant material with all the chemical elements needed to produce solar panels (silicon, iron, magnesium, aluminum). However, it was never put into practice. Inside Blue originthere is a specific project called for this Blue alchemist.
Before the brand’s experts achieved this feat, they worked intensively for two years. The process they used is called molten regolith electrolysis. To achieve this, they used a synthetic regolith that emulates the chemical properties and even the variability in composition and particle sizes. It is placed in a reactor and undergoes an electrical separation process.
Blue origin published a statement explaining the procedure as follows: “Using regolith simulators, our reactor produces iron, silicon and aluminum through the electrolysis of molten regolith, where an electric current separates these elements from the oxygen to which they are bound. “Oxygen for propulsion and life support is a byproduct.”
“Our process purifies silicon to more than 99.999%, a purity level necessary to manufacture efficient solar cells. Typical silicon purification methods on Earth use large amounts of toxic and explosive chemicals. However, our process only uses sunlight and silicon from our reactor.”
This solar panel ‘comes’ from the Moon: something that has never been seen before
The harsh environment on the moon can be fatal for solar cells. Therefore, they need a glass cover to protect them. Otherwise the lifespan would be only a few days. Their technique uses only electrolysis byproducts of molten regolith to produce a glass envelope that allows a lunar lifespan of more than ten years.
This method not only produces the components required for the development of the solar cell. It also contributes to the production of by-products that allow the manufacture of glass for its protection and even the connecting cables.
To complete the sustainable invention, the production technology does not emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It doesn’t even use water or create toxic waste in any way.
So this solar energy panel made with powder Luna It deserves a privileged place on the podium of renewable solutions, together with the first quantum solar panel in history.