Solar paint can be a new source of energy.

Фото: Depositphotos

Paint that covers your home may soon produce clean electricity.

While the United States has made significant progress on the path to extracting clean energy over the past half century, the country's dependence on fossil fuels is still overwhelming. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, burning fossil fuels gives 79% of US greenhouse gas emissions in 2010.

However, a new hope for alternative energy sources has appeared on the horizon. A group of researchers from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) in Australia created a new technology, which they called “sun paint”. If you think that this is a new type of solar panels, then you are mistaken, because in fact they are completely different technologies. Solar paint should be much cheaper than solar panels.

Dr. Torben Daineke, lead author of the project, spoke with ResearchGate about the details of the sun paint.

“Our solar paint consists of two components: a moisture-absorbing catalyst that we developed and light-absorbing titanium oxide,” said Dr. Torben Deinecke. “The titanium oxide particle absorbs light from the sun and converts it into electrical energy. Since the titanium oxide is in close contact with the moisture absorption catalyst, incoming solar energy can be directly transferred to the catalyst, where it is used to split water and produce hydrogen. The catalysts we have developed have the ability to absorb more moisture from humid air, resulting in its ability to continuously split water using energy from the sun.”

Daineke compared this to the process of photosynthesis in plants.

Hydrogen has long been considered one of the cleanest sources of sustainable energy, producing only water as a by-product. However, it has not yet been considered as an energy source due to current problems associated with its production and cost effectiveness. Solar paints can change everything.

Daienke said reverseThat new technology can be used along with current - solar panels - to help improve efficiency.

The scientist suggested that solar paint will be available to the general public in five years.

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