A University of Houston (US) researcher has developed a nanoparticle coating for solar panels that makes it easier to keep the panels clean, which helps maintain their efficiency and reduces the maintenance and operations costs. The patent-pending coating developed by physics professor Seamus "Shay" Curran, director of UH’s Institute for NanoEnergy, has successfully undergone testing at the Dublin Institute for Technology and will undergo field trials being conducted by an engineering firm in North Carolina. The Self-Cleaning Nano Hydrophobic (SCNH107TM) layer has been licensed by C-Voltaics from UH, USA. The unit built by Curran and his team produces two-to-five kilowatts and charges a backup battery. That’s enough power for an air-conditioning system, some light and a TV. But Livingston & Haven has built an even larger unit that could fully power a 3,000-square-foot house.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-POIkdh_I8&feature=player_embedded http://c-voltaics.com/