Nagpur: At a time when Nagpur is witnessing an unprecedented boom in rooftop solar installations, two city-based researchers have received a design patent from UK’s Intellectual Property Office for a technology they claim can enable solar panels to generate electricity even during the night.The researchers claim the innovation addresses one of the biggest limitations of conventional solar photovoltaic (PV) systems — no electricity generation after sunset.The patented system has been jointly developed by Sanjay Dhoble, head of Department of Physics at Nagpur University (NU), and Vijay Pawade, professor at Laxminarayan Innovation Technological University (LITU), Nagpur.The technology is based on bifacial solar panels, which absorb photons from both their front and rear surfaces. While the front side captures direct sunlight, the rear side utilises reflected light to improve power generation. However, electricity output drops significantly during cloudy conditions and at night due to the absence of sunlight.To overcome this limitation, the researchers have proposed an LED-assisted illumination system. The researchers said LED light sources are installed on both sides of the bifacial solar panel. The system stores electricity generated through wind energy. When sunlight intensity falls below a predetermined threshold, a sensor-based control mechanism automatically activates the LEDs using the stored energy. Photons emitted by the LEDs enable the panels to continue generating electricity during the night.Dhoble told TOI that the system is capable of generating around 40% of its daytime power output during nighttime. “We have received the patent only recently and are yet to work out the cost and commercial deployment aspects of the technology,” he said.The researchers claim the integrated energy storage and intelligent control mechanism enables the system to operate without requiring an external power supply. They believe the innovation has the potential to supply electricity for residential buildings, industries and public street lighting in the future.NU vice-chancellor Manali Kshirsagar, pro-vice-chancellor Akhilesh Peshwe, acting registrar Vijay Khandal and dean of Faculty of Science and Technology Umesh Palikundwar appreciated the research. LITU vice-chancellor Atul Vaidya and registrar Niraj Khati also congratulated the researchers on securing the UK patent.The researchers said the patent recognises the novelty of the proposed design. They expressed hope that after further development and commercialisation, the technology could contribute to expanding the share of renewable energy in power generation.
