The contribution of Berlin researchers develop solar cells from Beatrice Bode first appeared on Basic Thinking. You always stay up to date with our newsletter.
Space authorities and private companies are in the race for settlement of the moon. What is missing: enough electricity. Berlin researchers could now have found a solution for this. They want to produce solar cells from moon dust.
“The same dirt that adheres to the boots of astronauts could one day keep their lights on the shining”: This is how a press report begins Eurekalert,, a news portal for science journalism.
What sounds like a science fiction story could become a reality in the future. Because scientists from the University of Potsdam and the TU Berlin have found outhow to produce solar cells from moon dust.
Moon dust is suitable for the production of solar cells
Moon dust is more precisely mondregolith – a sharp -edged dust that covers the surface of the moon. It has already been considered as a potential building material. Researchers also assume that the ice in the shady craters of the moon could be used as drinking water and split into oxygen and hydrogen.
However, the research team from Berlin and Potsdam wants to transform the Mondregolith into glass for solar cells. As a test, they melted a substance that should simulate the dust and produced a new type of solar cell.
To do this, they combined the “moon glass” with perovsky – a mineral with a typical crystal structure that converts sunlight very efficiently into electricity. The ulterior motive: Instead of transporting photovoltaic plates from the earth, the researchers want to rely on materials that are already on the moon.
Moon dust cells reduce transport costs into space by 99 percent
“The solar cells currently used in space are amazing and reach efficiency of 30 to 40 percent,” reports Felix Lang, chief researcher at the University of Potsdam. However, this efficiency has its price: “They are very expensive and relatively difficult because they use glass or a thick film as a cover.” It is difficult to justify to transport all of these cells into space.
Alternatively, if you use the moon dust melted into glass, the start mass of a space vehicle can be reduced by 99.4 percent. This in turn saves 99 percent of the transport costs and makes a long -term moon settlement possible. “In addition, our cells are more stable compared to radiation, while the others would crumble over time,” said Lang.
So far, scientists have managed to achieve an efficiency of ten percent with their solar cells from moon dust. With further optimizations, it could increase up to 23 percent. With this, visionary projects such as solar lunar farms move within reach.
Moon dust solar cells could supply the moon base with electricity
For a long time, both international space agencies and private companies have been looking for ways to colonize the moon. As part of NASA’s Artemis III mission, astronauts are to be brought back to the moon for the first time in NASA’s Artemis III mission.
The US room trip authority wants to accommodate it on a corresponding basis and at the same time build data centers and other permanent facilities. Large amounts of electricity are required for supply. The research of the Berlin scientists opens up a new solution for this.
So far, however, their work is only based on simulations. The real conditions on the moon have some challenges. So the low gravity could change the formation of moon glass. The vacuum of the moon and temperature fluctuations could also influence the stability and processing of the different materials.
In order to find out whether the moon dust solar cells are really useful, the research team hopes to send an experiment on a small scale to the moon in order to test them under real moon conditions.
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As a Tech Industry expert, I find the development of solar cells from moon dust by Berlin researchers to be a groundbreaking achievement. This innovation not only demonstrates the potential for using lunar resources in space exploration and colonization but also highlights the importance of sustainability in the tech industry.
By harnessing the abundant resources available on the moon, such as moon dust, researchers have the opportunity to create more efficient and cost-effective solar cells that could revolutionize the renewable energy sector. This development has the potential to significantly reduce our reliance on traditional fossil fuels and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Furthermore, this breakthrough showcases the ingenuity and creativity of researchers in leveraging unconventional materials for technological advancements. It serves as a reminder of the endless possibilities that exist in the tech industry when we think outside the box and push the boundaries of innovation.
Overall, the development of solar cells from moon dust is a remarkable achievement that has the potential to transform the renewable energy landscape and pave the way for a more sustainable future.
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