Scientists have made a breakthrough that could help solar panels run cooler, last longer, and generate more power — without relying on energy-hungry equipment.
A team led by the Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy has developed a passive cooling system using an age-old approach: sometimes a little goes a long way.
Solar power is a promising alternative that can help residents and businesses save money on energy while also helping stabilize power grids by diversifying sources. Cleaner energy sources like solar and wind reduce planet-warming pollution and improve air quality, which is great news for human health.
However, heat is one of solar energy's biggest challenges. As photovoltaic panels warm up, their efficiency drops, meaning less electricity is produced during peak sunlight hours. Many existing cooling methods rely on pumps or water submersion, which can increase costs, energy use, and corrosion risk. However, the IIPE team's approach, published in Unconventional Resources, aims to solve those problems with a simpler, low-impact design.
Instead of circulating water or immersing the panel, researchers put a shallow layer of still seawater on top of the panel's surface while keeping the other components dry. "The concept is safe, economic, and has less environmental impact," corresponding author H. Sharon said to PV Magazine.
The system was tested over four days using different seawater thicknesses, and the results were striking. Thicker layers blocked too much sunlight, reducing the panel's efficiency. However, a 5-millimeter (0.2-inch) layer of seawater lowered temperatures by up to 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit) compared with an uncooled panel, boosting daily energy output by as much as 8.9%.
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The setup requires no pumps, no electricity, and no moving parts. That could make it especially valuable for coastal communities, where seawater is abundant and complex solar panel cooling systems can be expensive.
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There are still challenges to address. The IIPE researchers observed salt buildup when evaporation happened too quickly, reducing performance in some cases. The team plans further testing under different climates and salt concentrations to better understand long-term performance and durability.
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The possibility of meltdowns ☢️ If refined and scaled, this passive cooling technology could make solar energy more reliable, more affordable, and more efficient — helping communities generate more clean power without adding strain to already stressed energy grids.
Innovations like this hint that solar's best days may still be ahead. As the study authors explained in Unconventional Resources: "The observed results justifies the proposed thermal management technique because it is efficient and competitive with fin and phase change material-based module thermal management strategies. This highlights the necessity for further research and development toward improvement of this proposed technique for large-scale applications."
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