We all know that Solar Energy is the future of electricity generation after fossil fuels are completely exhausted from the face of the Earth. Energy from the sun is stored on lithium-ion batteries for use later in the day. However, as of now, we are a long way from Solar Energy being optimised enough for daily use.?
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But this might soon change as researchers at the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have created a new way to store solar energy that could be a giant leap forward current lithium-ion batteries.
What's different with this solar energy tech is with a completely revamped implementation. They've produced a special molecule that consists of carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen.?
These are designed to capture the sun's rays as soon as they sense light. Once the energy is captured by this surface, it can be released in the form of heat with an introduction to a catalyst. The current system can only generate heat, but they're devising a method to generate electricity out of it too.?
The molecule at play can be used to form a kind of laminate which the creators expect to be applied to windows, cars and even clothing.?
Chalmers University of Technology
While this might seem like an efficient way of capturing energy, it is also an efficient way to store the energy as with this technology, the battery can last for decades - whereas a lithium battery would last somewhere from five to ten years tops.?
It'll be interesting to see how this new method stacks up against global warming as a recent study had revealed that an increase in global warming will reduce output of solar power across the globe by 2100, since the photo-voltaic cells are severely sensitive to temperature, and rising temperature of the globe will severely impact the output of solar energy.
As the planet gets warmer the productivity/output of the cells will diminish. As per researchers Ian Peters and Tonio Buonassisi, on average, photovoltaic power output reduces by 0.45% for each degree (kelvin) increase in temperature.