A team of Russian scientists has developed and obtained a patent for a software that uses waste heat from solar panels to desalinate seawater and groundwater, the TASS news agency reported on Friday (November 28).
According to Olga Kornyakova, a lecturer at the Department of Industrial Heat Power Engineering at South Ural State University (SUSU), the new software is expected to be of interest to industrial facilities involved in chemical wastewater treatment.
He explained that the software program addresses a long-standing problem: the excessive heat generated by solar panel installations. The program channels the remaining, previously unused thermal energy into a desalination device.
Kornyakova explained that researchers at SUSU have patented a device capable of purifying seawater and groundwater using electricity generated by solar panels. Previously, solar panels would heat up during operation, releasing unused waste heat, Kornyakova explained.
With the new system, a special heating element is connected to the solar panel to absorb the waste heat energy.
The software will automatically collect digital data from the heating elements, measure their temperatures, and display the water temperature. The researchers say this integration allows the water heat generated by the panels to warm other heat transfer media as well.
Kornyakova added that the program, written using the Python programming language, is easy to use and does not require special training.
The development of this program is expected to benefit companies engaged in chemical water purification and the operation of facilities powered by renewable energy sources.
