Neutrinovoltaics: the solution to all energy worries?

Generating energy from invisible radiation could revolutionise the electromobility market.

To advance research into the new neutrinovoltaic technology, the company Neutrino Energy secured a new production facility in Frankfurt (Oder) in Brandenburg back in 2021. tv.berlin went there to take a look at the ambitious company’s vision of the future.

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What are neutrinos?

Neutrinos are very energetic, invisible particles that come from space and travel through time. They are able to reach any place on Earth at any time, much like sunlight. Compared with sunlight, however, neutrinos have the great advantage that they can reach us regardless of the weather, the season or even the time of day. They also have a tiny total mass. Physicists from Canada and Japan were the first to discover that neutrinos have any mass at all. In recognition of their achievement, the two researchers were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.

The Neutrino Energy Group

The Neutrino Energy Group is a German-American research group. Its aim is to find ways to harness the power of the invisible radiation spectrum. As fossil fuels are limited and climate change requires the development of alternative and CO2-neutral energy sources, this research group is dedicated to an urgent problem. It has succeeded in creating a dense substance that can interact in a specific way with neutrinos and other invisible radiation. This unique substance is used to build the first neutrino photovoltaic cells for power generation. Vapour-deposited layers of silicon and doped graphene are applied to the carrier layer to make the end product. The thickness of these layers is in the nanometre range. When neutrinos and other invisible radiation strike this substance, they generate both horizontal and vertical impulses. It is crucial that the doped materials have the right layer thickness. At the optimum layer thickness, the atomic vibrations caused by the impulses are brought into resonance. As a result, an electric current can be detected in the substrate material. The hypothesis states that the amount of energy that can be harvested depends on the distance travelled in the process. With this approach it will soon be possible to charge electrical devices anywhere in the world without needing a socket or a cable. Simply “collecting” energy from the environment is a viable option. As a result, humanity will have access to an endless supply of clean energy, which will help to slow or halt global warming.

The Neutrino® Energy Group works with a worldwide team of scientists and various international research centres. They research applications for converting invisible radiation spectra of the sun, including neutrinos – high-energy particles that reach the Earth incessantly and can be converted into electrical energy.

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