'Reverse Solar Panel' Generates Electricity At Night

'Reverse Solar Panel' Generates Electricity At Night

Reverse Solar Panel Generates Power at Night—Here’s How What if solar panels could work after sunset? A breakthrough from researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) brings that idea closer to reality with a novel device that functions like a “reverse solar panel”—generating small but usable amounts of electricity at night by harvesting infrared radiation emitted from Earth. While it won’t replace daytime solar anytime soon, this innovation could power critical hardware in total darkness, including deep-space satellites and remote sensors. Credit: UNSW The Nighttime Energy Gap—and a Radical Fix Solar energy has long faced one glaring limitation: it doesn’t work when the sun goes down. Even with advanced batteries, extended periods without sunlight—like polar winters or deep-space missions—pose serious challenges. But what if we could flip the script entirely? Instead of capturing incoming sunlight, UNSW scientists are now tapping into the heat Earth itself radiates back into sp…