Physicsworld. (2019, July 18) Solar panel generates fresh water and electricity. Retrieved July 18, 2019, from https://physicsworld.com/a/solar-panel-generates-fresh-water-and-electricity/
In the Middle East, fresh, potable water is scarce. Countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia have resorted to desalination to provide this much-needed resource, but this process consumes energy quickly and inefficiently. Fortunately, a new process for desalination was recently invented in Saudi Arabia by Peng Wang and a team of scientists at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. The process revolves around the use of solar panels as the heating component, as the article states that only about 20% of the sunlight that hits a solar panel is converted into electricity, while the other 80% simply heats the material. Wang and his team have pioneered a new use for this excess heat by using it to evaporate saltwater.
I believe this desalination process developed by Wang and his associates will provide a much more efficient way to provide water and electricity to not only Saudi Arabia, but the surrounding countries that struggle with the same resource shortage problems, but less money to spend. The article mentions that the additions that they made to their solar panels for the desalination process apply to all solar panels and furthermore, do not decrease energy production. This means that countries would not have to replace their pre-existing solar panels, but rather build the new device around it. Solar energy is a rising economy, but some are still skeptical about how efficient solar panels are compared to other energy sources. I think that this added benefit will convince the public that solar energy is a useful energy source.
I will have to respectfully disagree with you on the subject of financing the new device built around the solar panels. I believe that in order to mass produce this device to surrounding countries and their populations, governments will have to spend a lot of money on a device that only gives off about 20% of the solar energy, converting it to electricity that powers people’s houses. Do you think that the production of solar panels in general are financially inconvenient due to their expensive nature?
I believe that while it is currently not financially feasible to mass-produce. It certainly can improve the quality of life for those who are impoverished because they are relatively cheap to maintain and can provide an endless stream of energy for those who have none.
I agree that this is a good supplement to produce energy for desalination because of the large amount of sunlight that the middle east often receives. However, I would have to agree with Gio’s point that while these solar panels are great and have their benefits, it would cost a large fortune in order to finance these panels. My question for Hunter is simply, do you believe that it’s worth it to produce these solar panels, considering its benefits and expenses?
I agree that the efficient way to provide water and electricity to not only Saudi Arabia, but the surrounding countries that struggle with the same resource shortage problems, but less money to spend. Mass producing can improve life quality because its relatively cheap to maintain and can provide an endless stream of energy for those who have none.