A NEW WAY TO STORE SOLAR

New material stores solar energy, releases it on demand as heat energy

January 8, 2016 (Dispatch Tribunal)

“…[A new material capable of storing solar energy and releasing it on demand as heat energy] can be used for a number of applications including electric cars…[The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) created material] can be produced as a transparent polymer film…[T]he key to storing solar energy for longer time is to store it in some form of energy other than heat [that dissipates. Chemical storage can be longer term] and can be released through a trigger in the form of small jolt of heat (or light or electricity). The key is to have a material or a system that can retain the solar energy in a stable molecular configuration and then release it…[Solar thermal fuels (STF) have that characteristic but] were designed to be used in liquid solutions…[Scientists have now developed the polymer film material with an increased energy density] called azobenzenes…[T]he system as it exists now might be a significant boon for electric cars…” click here for more

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