Researchers have discovered a technique to capture, store, and use the electrical power generated by falling raindrops in a potentially game-changing advance in energy harvesting, which might lead to the construction of rooftop, power-generating rain panels.
Previous attempts to generate power from failing rain have encountered distinct technological challenges that often looked insurmountable, but the researchers behind this new technology claim to have discovered a solution that may ultimately make such rain panels as popular, if not more so, than solar panels. Engineers have long suspected that raindrops have the capacity to generate electricity. The concept has previously been implemented in practical applications such as hydroelectric dams and wave power collection systems, where the movement of water generates electricity.
A similar problem is overcome in technologies such as solar panels (or even the "nighttime anti-solar panels" previously discussed by The Debrief) by merging a series of individual solar cells in a single circuit, resulting in a whole panel of cells that can collect a higher amount of energy combined. A group of researchers claims to have discovered a design and configuration that significantly decreases the coupling capacitance issue and could make energy-harvesting rain panels a viable reality.