THUWAL, Saudi Arabia, July 19, 2019 — Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have developed a multifunctional device that captures the excess heat shed by photovoltaic solar panels and uses it to desalinate seawater, without affecting the panels' electricity output. Wenbin Wang, a doctoral student in professor Peng Wang's labs at the university's Water Desalination and Reuse Center, said water and energy production is deeply intertwined. Conventional solar farms use fresh water to wash dust from the panels. 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