New way to store solar energy up to 18 years
As Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology explains in a press report, Chinese and Swedish scientists have managed to develop a technology that makes it possible to store solar energy for up to 18 years and then release it when it is needed. Moth-Poulsen, professor at the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at the University of Sweden and research leader of the discovery explains: “This is a radically new way of generating electricity from solar energy. It means that we can use the sun’s energy to generate electricity regardless of the weather, time of day , time of year or geographic location. It is a closed system that does not emit any carbon dioxide.”
New technology based on the solar energy system MOST
According to the press release, this new technology is based on the MOST (Molecular Solar Thermal Energy Storage Systems) solar energy system previously developed by scientists at the Swedish university. “Quite simply, the technology is based on a specially designed molecule that changes shape when exposed to sunlight,” the statement said. The specially designed molecule of carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen turns into an isomer when exposed to sunlight: a molecule made up of the same atoms but arranged differently. The isomer can then finally be stored in liquid form to be used later when needed – for example at night or in winter. A specially developed catalyst releases the stored energy in the form of heat and returns the molecule to its original form so that it can be reused in the heating system.
A chip converts heat into electricity
In order to be able to generate electricity from the heat, the Swedish scientists sent a molecule charged with solar energy to their Chinese colleagues Tao Li and Zhiyu Hu at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. These released the energy and were able to convert it into electricity using a generator they developed. “The generator is an ultra-thin chip that could be integrated into electronic devices such as headphones, smart watches and phones. So far we’ve only generated small amounts of electricity, but the new results show that the concept really works. It looks very promising.” , according to researcher Zhihang Wang of Chalmers University of Technology.
According to the press release, these research results have great potential for renewable and emission-free energy production. However, a lot of research and development work is still needed before the stored energy can be used to charge technical devices or heat entire houses. “Together with the various research groups involved in the project, we are now working to optimize the system. The amount of electricity or heat that it can generate must be increased. Even if the energy system is based on simple base materials, it must it has to be adapted in such a way that it can be produced sufficiently cost-effectively and thus a broader introduction is possible”, says Professor Kasper Moth-Poulsen.
E. Schmal/Redaktion finanzen.net
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