Pop Music Increase Solar Cell Efficiency, Study Finds

A little bit of Miley Cyrus or U2 goes a long way when it comes to solar cell efficiency, a new study found.

According to the new report, the high frequencies and pitch in pop and rock music cause vibrations that trigger energy production in solar cells with a cluster of "nanorods," increasing output by as much as 40 percent.

The researchers, from Queen Mary University of London and Imperial College London, grew billions of nanorods made from zinc oxide they then covered with an active polymer, forming a device capable of converting sunlight into electricity. By harnessing the properties of the zinc oxide material, the researchers determined that sound levels as low as 75 decibels -- roughly the level of noise produced by an office printer or roadside noise -- led to a surprising improvement in solar cell performance.

"We thought the soundwaves, which produce random fluctuations, would cancel each other out and so didn't expect to see any significant overall effect on the power output," James Durrant, professor of photochemistry at Imperial College London, said in a statement.

"The key for us was that not only that the random fluctuations from the sound didn't cancel each other out," Durrant explained, "but also that some frequencies of sound seemed really to amplify the solar cell output -- so that the increase in power was a remarkably big effect considering how little sound energy we put in."

The biggest difference they found was between pop music versus classical, "which we now realise is because our acoustic solar cells respond best to the higher pitched sounds present in pop music," he said.

The findings, the researchers say, could have significant implications in the solar energy industry, and in particular for the development of new lower-cost solar cells. It could also be used to power devices exposed to acoustic vibrations, such as air conditioning units in cars.