Static Electricity Makes Window Defrosting More Energy Efficient

Static electricity has the potential to eliminate up to 75% of frost from surfaces, which could lead to significant energy savings and a reduction in the millions of tons of antifreeze currently utilized for vehicle defrosting.

In 2021, Jonathan Boreyko and his team at Virginia Tech serendipitously discovered that frost becomes electrically charged during its formation. They successfully employed this natural electric field to charge an adjacent water film, which could effectively dislodge ice crystals from the frost as a natural deicing agent. However, the impact was minimal and did not significantly affect total frost levels.

Now, Boreyko’s research group has engineered a more advanced defrosting system that utilizes ultra-high voltage copper electrodes positioned above frosted surfaces like glass or copper. This innovative system can eliminate half of the frost in approximately 10 to 15 minutes, and up to 75% if the surface is highly water-repellent. “Instead of tapping into the voltage created by the frost, we’re enhancing the effect by applying our own voltages,” Boreyko explains.

To achieve a 50% reduction in frost, their method requires electrodes charged to 550 volts, which is more than double the voltage generally supplied by utility power in many regions. Nonetheless, the current from these electrodes is minimal, making them relatively safe. Boreyko noted that accidental contact with the electrodes would result in an electric shock similar to that from electric fences used on farms.

Boreyko states that this low current draws less energy—less than half of what would be needed to directly heat the frost.

An effective and swift defrosting technique could be applicable not just to car windows and roadways but also in the aerospace sector, where significant quantities of antifreeze are employed to prevent ice accumulation on aircraft wings, which can impact flight performance.

“Instead of applying hundreds of liters of antifreeze to the aircraft wings during taxi to eliminate ice, we could employ this machine, which would move around the airport runway, utilizing a high-voltage wand to clear away all the ice and snow,” Boreyko remarks.