Posted on Dec 5, 2020
This material could store solar energy for years
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Scientists have discovered a way to store solar energy for several years without the need for electronic components.
After studying a type of crystalline material commonly used for desalinating or filtering water, researchers at the Lancaster University realised it was an extremely effective method of capturing and storing the sun’s energy.
The breakthrough paves the way for a whole new range of applications where batteries or other existing technologies are either impractical or too expensive.
The material could be used as a coating on buildings to store summer energy that can then be released as heat in the winter, for example.
After studying a type of crystalline material commonly used for desalinating or filtering water, researchers at the Lancaster University realised it was an extremely effective method of capturing and storing the sun’s energy.
The breakthrough paves the way for a whole new range of applications where batteries or other existing technologies are either impractical or too expensive.
The material could be used as a coating on buildings to store summer energy that can then be released as heat in the winter, for example.
This material could store solar energy for years
Posted from independent.co.uk
Science
Energy
United Kingdom
Posted >1 y ago
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Excellent, very interesting. This has the potential for very many applications requiring heat. This should not be considered a replacement for solar cells and battery systems though, as the energy is not stored in traditional chemical electric potential. This means if you wanted to use it for a purpose OTHER than heat, you'd have to trigger the material to produce heat and then use traditional methods (steam-driven generator, for example) to create electricity.
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