Chinese team’s hydrogel coating boosts solar panel power output 13%, ideal for hot regions

Chinese scientists have developed a hydrogel cooling coating for solar panels to boost power output by 13 per cent compared to conventional photovoltaic systems. The transparent layer can reduce the temperature of “hotspots” – overheated areas on solar cells caused by defects, shading from leaves, bird droppings or dirt – by 16 degrees Celsius, or nearly 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Hotspots are a common cause of solar panel failure and fire risk. “On a global scale, our developed cooling strategy can...