{"id":16262,"date":"2025-04-04T13:38:50","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T13:38:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/TheNextWeb=1412902"},"modified":"2025-04-04T13:38:50","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T13:38:50","slug":"solar-panels-made-from-moon-dust-could-power-future-lunar-colonies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=16262","title":{"rendered":"Solar panels made from moon dust could power future lunar colonies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Future lunar bases could run on solar panels forged from molten moon dust, turning the Moon\u2019s surface into an energy source, <\/span>thanks to a new research breakthrough. <\/span><\/p>\n

Scientists at the University of Potsdam have engineered so-called \u201cmoonglass\u201d solar cells made by melting artificial moon dust or \u201cregolith\u201d and then combining it with a layer of perovskite crystal to create a working solar panel. <\/span><\/p>\n

The device could be lighter, cheaper, and more radiation-resistant than the panels already used in space<\/a>, said the researchers. Their results were published in the journal <\/span>Device<\/span><\/i> this week.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, solar panels power satellites, space stations, and Mars and lunar rovers. All these arrays are currently built on Earth and launched into space. But as humanity pushes for a permanent lunar presence, the need for solar power is set to skyrocket \u2014 and so will the cost of getting panels there.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Felix Lang, lead author of the paper, said that while the silicon-based solar cells used in space now are \u201camazing\u201d \u2014 reaching efficiencies of 30% to 40% \u2014 they are very expensive. They are also heavy because they use glass or a thick foil as a cover. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to justify lifting all these cells into space,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Harnessing the Moon\u2019s own regolith could be a game-changer. By creating moonglass directly on the lunar surface and pairing it with a thin layer of perovskite crystals brought from Earth, the researchers found they could slash launch mass by 99%.<\/span><\/p>\n

Building solar panels on the Moon<\/h2>\n
\"Artist's
An artist\u2019s impression of future solar cell fabrication on the Moon. Credit: Sercan \u00d6zen<\/figcaption>