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.
At first, I was surprised to read that music can increase energy production in solar panels. However, it makes sense that the vibrations are the reason for this. I can only imagine how much more energy can be produced with this method, but I also wonder about how much more energy will be used to simply PLAY the music. Would it ultimately cancel out the increase in energy production?
ReplyDeleteIf the higher tones of pop and rock music are the cause of the increase in energy production, could perhaps a small army of acoustic instruments have the same effect? If a piece was written for, say, and the entire violin and flute section of an orchestra, could I sit back and listen while being energy efficient? Because that would be absolutely lovely. I guess I really just don't understand why classical music couldn't work.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that our scientific world has progressed to the point of increasing energy production through sound. While the effectiveness of this development remains to be seen, I think it is indicative of the innovative nature of modern science. If scientists are able to continue finding new and creative methods for deriving energy, there is no doubt we can resolve the energy crisis.
ReplyDeleteIt is really interesting that music can increase the efficiency of solar panels. I would never think that music could do something like that. It would be pretty awesome if your solar panels played music that you could hear in your house. But at the same time it may get annoying.
ReplyDeleteThis is really amazing. It would never cross my mind that music pitches can increase the efficiency of solar panels. It makes me wonder how many non-conventional ways there are to conserve energy…and who might be attempting to study the effects of other non-conventional energy savers like music.
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome development! As much as i hate most pop music its good to know it may actually be useful for something like this haha. However i can't help but wonder why not just find the sounds that work with the rods and just repeat them constantly instead of picking them out from pop music?
ReplyDelete