Converting solar energy to electricity on demand

Date:
April 11, 2022
Source:
Chalmers University of Technology
Summary:
A new energy system that makes it possible to capture solar energy,
store it for up to eighteen years and release it when and where it
is needed has now taken the system a step further. After previously
demonstrating how the energy can be extracted as heat, they have
now succeeded in getting the system to produce electricity, by
connecting it to a thermoelectric generator.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
The researchers behind an energy system that makes it possible to capture
solar energy, store it for up to eighteen years and release it when
and where it is needed have now taken the system a step further. After previously demonstrating how the energy can be extracted as heat,
they have now succeeded in getting the system to produce electricity,
by connecting it to a thermoelectric generator.

Eventually, the research -- developed at Chalmers University of
Technology, Sweden -- could lead to self-charging electronics using
stored solar energy on demand.


========================================================================== "This is a radically new way of generating electricity from solar
energy. It means that we can use solar energy to produce electricity
regardless of weather, time of day, season, or geographical location. It
is a closed system that can operate without causing carbon dioxide
emissions," says research leader Kasper Moth-Poulsen, Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Chalmers.

The new technology is based on the solar energy system MOST -- Molecular
Solar Thermal Energy Storage Systems, developed at Chalmers University
of Technology.

Very simply, the technology is based on a specially designed molecule
that changes shape when it comes into contact with sunlight. The research
has already attracted great interest worldwide when it has been presented
at earlier stages.

The new study, published in Cell Reports Physical Science and carried out
in collaboration with researchers in Shanghai, takes the solar energy
system a step further, detailing how it can be combined with a compact thermoelectric generator to convert solar energy into electricity.

Ultra-thin chip converts heat into electricity The Swedish researchers
sent their specially designed molecule, loaded with solar energy,
to colleagues Tao Li and Zhiyu Hu at Shanghai Jiao Tong University,
where the energy was released and converted into electricity using the generator they developed there. Essentially, Swedish sunshine was sent
to the other side of the world and converted into electricity in China.



==========================================================================
"The generator is an ultra-thin chip that could be integrated into
electronics such as headphones, smart watches and telephones. So far, we
have only generated small amounts of electricity, but the new results
show that the concept really works. It looks very promising," says
researcher Zhihang Wang from Chalmers University of Technology.

Fossil free, emissions free The research has great potential for
renewable and emissions-free energy production. But a lot of research
and development remains before we will be able to charge our technical
gadgets or heat our homes with the system's stored solar energy.

"Together with the various research groups included in the project, we
are now working to streamline the system. The amount of electricity or
heat it can extract needs to be increased. Even if the energy system is
based on simple basic materials, it needs to be adapted to be sufficiently cost-effective to produce, and thus possible to launch more broadly,"
says Kasper Moth-Poulsen.

More about the Most technology Molecular Solar Thermal Energy Storage
Systems, Most, is a closed energy system based on a specially designed
molecule of carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen, which when hit by sunlight
changes shape into an energy-rich isomer -- a molecule made up of the same atoms but arranged together in a different way. The isomer can then be
stored in liquid form for later use when needed, such as at night or in
winter. The researchers have refined the system to the point that it is
now possible to store the energy for up to 18 years. A specially designed catalyst releases the saved energy as heat while returning the molecule to
its original shape, so it can then be reused in the heating system. Now,
in combination with a micrometer-thin thermoelectric generator, the
energy system can also generate electricity to order.

Kasper Moth-Poulsen. The researchers are active at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Henan Polytechnic University in China, as well as at the Institute of Materials Science in Barcelona and the Catalan Department of Research and Advanced Studies,
ICREA, in Spain.

The research has been funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation,
the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research, the Swedish Research
Council Formas, the Swedish Energy Agency, the European Research Council
(ERC) under grant agreement CoG, PHOTHERM -- 101002131, the Catalan
Institute of Advanced Studies (ICREA), and the European Union's Horizon
2020 Framework Programme under grant agreement no. 951801.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
Chalmers_University_of_Technology. Note: Content may be edited for style
and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Zhihang Wang, Zhenhua Wu, Zhiyu Hu, Jessica Orrego-Herna'ndez,
Erzhen Mu,
Zhao-Yang Zhang, Martyn Jevric, Yang Liu, Xuecheng Fu, Fengdan Wang,
Tao Li, Kasper Moth-Poulsen. Chip-scale solar thermal electrical
power generation. Cell Reports Physical Science, 2022; 3 (3):
100789 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2022.100789 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220411101300.htm

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