ADVANCING SOLAR

New energy cell can store up solar energy for release at night

Dario Borghino, July 7, 2015 (GizMag)

“A photoelectrochemical cell (PEC) is a special type of solar cell that gathers the Sun's energy and transforms it into either electricity or chemical energy used to split water and produce hydrogen for use in fuel cells. In an advance that could help this clean energy source play a stronger role within the smart grid, researchers at the University of Texas, Arlington have found a way to store the electricity generated by a PEC cell for extended periods of time and allow electricity to be delivered around the clock…[The new cell] includes a specially designed…hybrid tungsten trioxide/titanium dioxide (WO3/TiO2) photoelectrode [that] can store electrons effectively for long periods of time, paving the way for PEC cells to play a bigger role within a smart energy grid…The system also includes a vanadium redox-flow battery (VRB)…The team is now working on building a larger prototype…” click here for more

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