There are several forms of naturally existing energy that can be converted into electricity. Wind, running river water, ocean currents, and light from the sun are all examples of natural energy. We can convert this natural energy into electricity with simple generators. For example, a river’s moving water can turn a wheel connected to a generator that converts the turning wheel’s energy into electricity. Wind energy can be converted in much the same way - as wind passed through the rotator blades, they turn a shaft that is connected to a generator. Generators are fairly simple. They generate electricity by leveraging the properties of electromagnetic induction.

The current method for converting solar energy into electricity is to absorb the sunlight’s energy and transfer it to a semiconductor - the standard solar panel. This energy knocks electrons loose, which allows them to flow through a solar cell that has an electric field itself which forces the electrons to flow in a certain direction. This flow of electrons is a current. By placing metal contacts on the top and bottom solar cell, we can draw that current off to use externally.

There is another form of natural energy that the sun gives off; heat. Most people have intensified sunlight with a magnifying glass at some point in their life to escalate the natural heat given off from sunlight.

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Can heat be generated on a large scale by magnifying the sun’s light? And if so, can this heat be easily converted into electricity. The answer is no. That’s why we use solar panels to generate electricity directly from sunlight instead of first creating heat that would then have to be converted into electricity.

However, in a recent post on CleanTechnica, a new material was discussed that can efficiently convert heat waste into electricity. Can this new technology be applied to heat generated from sunlight to increase its efficiency in generating electricity? And if so, can the real-estate on solar panels be optimized to use heat energy as well?