According to Dr. Steve
Dunn and Dr. James Durrant, scientists researching solar energy at Queen Mary
College of London and Imperial College of London, playing pop or rock music
increases the efficiency of solar panels. They have been studying the effects
of sound waves upon solar panels for quite some time, focusing on classical
music when they worked with music at all. The sound waves of pop and rock music
start vibrations that increase energy production in solar cells with groups of “nanorods.”
Nanorods are made from zinc oxide and covered with an active polymer to make it
possible for them to convert sunlight into energy; billions of these tiny rods
are required for this process. By playing the right kind of tunes, it appears
that production efficiency increases by roughly 40%.
There are similar
experiments that have converted sound vibrations into electricity, but the
difference here is the method. First, it is an unorthodox choice of sound wave—pop
music? The high pitch tones associated with it are extremely effective at being
picked out, versus the non-success of the lower classical music. This is also
the first experiment to convert sound energy into light energy.
While this may not
seem extremely important at the moment, the implications are significant. This
discovery opens many more doors into the world of pop/rock outside of your
favorite radio station. On a more general level, sound wave technology as a way
of increasing energy output or efficiency is key here—if it can be useful at
this low level, who says it can’t make a big difference further up the chain?
I had no idea sound
waves could be harnessed in this way. It is plausible to me—there are already
instances were similar reactions have been observed, and this is only building
on previous knowledge.
