60秒科学:自动除尘的太阳能电池板

太阳能电池板能通过自发电脉冲震落其灰尘，以确保最大限度的获得光照。

Imagine giant fields filled with photovoltaic solar panels, soaking up rays. The best spots to put such panels are obviously sunny, with little rain. But such places often come with lots of dust. And the panels have to stay dust-free: just a seventh of an ounce of dust per square yard of panel can decrease solar power conversion¹ by 40 percent. And panels in Arizona might get covered with four times that much dust each month.

Cleaning the panels conventionally uses precious water. So researchers are turning to dust-cleaning technology developed for one of the driest, dustiest locations possible: Mars. The work was reported at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society. [Malay Mazumder et al.]

An electrically-sensitive transparent² material is deposited on glass or a plastic sheet that covers the panel. Sensors³ monitor the dust levels.

Once the dust reaches a specified⁴ level, the system reacts and produces a charge, with electricity generated by the panel.

The charge creates a wave over the material’s surface that physically⁵ lifts the dust and tosses it over the edges. The system gets about 90 percent of the dust in a couple of minutes. So the panels can go back to soaking up rays.
 

1 conversion   

n.转化，转换，转变

参考例句：

• He underwent quite a conversion.他彻底变了。
• Waste conversion is a part of the production process.废物处理是生产过程的一个组成部分。

2 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

3 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

4 specified   

adj.特定的

参考例句：

• The architect specified oak for the wood trim. 那位建筑师指定用橡木做木饰条。
• It is generated by some specified means. 这是由某些未加说明的方法产生的。

5 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。