New chemical recipe to store solar energy, release it as heat, such as for creating steam

Watts Up with That? ^ | May 8, 2015 | By University of Copenhagen

[Brad from Tennessee]

(via Eurekalert) The Sun is a huge source of energy. In just one hour planet Earth is hit by so much sunshine that humankind could cover its energy needs for an entire year if only we knew how to harvest and save it. But storing sunshine is not trivial. Now a student at Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen has researched his way to a breakthrough which may prove pivotal for technologies trying to capture the energy of the sun, and saving it for a rainy day.

Anders Bo Skov has recently started studying for his Master’s degree in chemistry at University of Copenhagen. Together with his supervisor, Mogens Brøndsted Nielsen, he is publishing the paper “Towards Solar Energy Storage in the Photochromic Dihydroazulene-Vinylheptafulvene System” in the journal “Chemistry – A European Journal“.

Professor Brøndsted is in charge of “Center for Exploitation of Solar Energy” at University of Copenhagen. Here his team is attempting to develop molecules capable of harvesting and holding substantial amounts of solar energy, storing it for significant amounts of time, and releasing it on demand. Regrettably a year of research had shown them something that was taking on the shape of an irksome law of nature. As the capacity of the molecules to hold energy seemed to improve, the capacity to store it over time dropped; and vice versa.

The group is working with molecules known as the Dihydroazulene-Vinylheptafulvene system. Put very simply this stores energy by changing shape, but every time the Brøndsted group managed to design improved molecules, the molecules lost some of their ability to hold their “energy storage” shape, says professor Brøndsted. . .

[ClearCase_guy]

The Sun is a huge source of energy. In just one hour planet Earth is hit by so much sunshine that humankind could cover its energy needs for an entire year if only we knew how to harvest and save it.

But, of course, if the topic were Global Warming, the source of our skyrocketing global temperature would be identified as our fault.

[samtheman]

Oil is stored solar energy.
Natural gas is stored solar energy.
Coal is stored solar energy.

Efficiently processed for millions of years, efficiently stored for millions of years. Available for our convenient use right now.

[Eccl 10:2]

The Sun is a huge source of energy. In just one hour planet Earth is hit by so much sunshine that humankind could cover its energy needs for an entire year if only we knew how to harvest and save it.

"But, of course, if the topic were Global Warming, the source of our skyrocketing global temperature would be identified as our fault."

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Bravo. Very well played. Excellent point. One which I shall remember.

[Sacajaweau]

It’s called a pool.

[Sherman Logan]

All energy sources, with exception of nuclear, are solar energy.

[Teacher317]

Uh.... Why would you create steam? Renewables’ one advantage over fossil fuels is that they do not need to be converted into steam to drive a turbine to create electricity. Every fossil fuel generator (and even a nuclear power or geothermal generator) is basically a steam engine. Our technology has not passed much beyond the first railroad engines, believe it or not. The set-up is the same. Heat water, make steam, steam pushes piston, piston pushes turbine. That’s it. However, wind, solar, and hydro power do not need the heat to create steam to push a piston and turn a turbine... the wind or water flow turn the wheel directly for wind and hydro... and for solar, it is even more direct. Not turbine is needed at all! No rotation is needed. It converts sunlight directly into electric current. Why on earth would you introduce multiple inefficiencies to go backwards and create steam???

[Teacher317]

New chemical recipe to store solar energy, release it as heat,

Then there's the even more obvious issue... the sun's energy was heat to begin with. Storing sunlight to use as heat... hell, concrete can do THAT! My car also did a mighty fine job of it during Texas summers. Any insulated house does, too. Water, dirt, you name it. Turning sunlight into heat is not a big trick. It has been our primary heat source for, oh say, a few million years. Brilliant! Give them another grant!

[smokingfrog]

Pair this up with a sterling engine, and you might be able to create some serious power.

[Mycroft Holmes]

Nuclear is also a form of solar energy. The sun burns the light elements from H to Fe. This nuclear burning is exothermic, yields more energy than is required to initiate it. If the star is heavy enough when all of the H is burned to Fe then gravitational collapse occurs and that gravitational energy is used to form all the elements heavier than iron. The energy from this gravitational collapse is the source of the nuclear energy.

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[Sherman Logan]

Not accurate if solar means from our Sun. These elements were, as you say, formed in previous stars, as was, I believe all elements heavier than iron.

[Organic Panic]

Sorry doc. They are called plants. God beat you to it.

[Sherman Logan]

Also, if you think about it, nuclear energy isn’t solar in that solar generally refers to storing emitted energy from a star, not storing energy of its gravitational collapse.

Though we’re way off in the semantic weeds at this point.

[ArtDodger]

Truth is.. governments do not want cheap energy which would be followed by a loss of control. Otherwise, tidal forces could meet all our needs and be done without new technology.

[Ben Ficklin]

PV solar converts sunlight into electricity.

But thermal solar aka concentrating solar also heats water to steam to turn a turbine. And sometimes they heat DowTherm oils as a heat transfer or storage medium.

Thermal solar plants can use molten salts to store heat. Sunlight heats the water, which heats the molten salt and stores the heat until the sun goes down and then the molten salt heats the water to turn the turbine.

The Solana solar power plant in Arizona uses molten salts as heat storage for generating after sundown.

Technically speaking, hydropower is stored sun power. The sun heats a body of water on the earth's surface, which evaporates the water, which condenses, falls as rain, and gets stored behind a dam.

[Svartalfiar]

WHy not just build a Dyson sphere out of solar panels? then we could capture all the sunlight!

[The Great RJ]

There will always be entropic losses when one form of energy is converted into another form. Converting sunlight into stored chemical energy and then releasing the chemical energy into usable heat will lose energy at each step due to entropy. Entropy is the thermodynamic equivalent of there is no free lunch

[X-spurt]

Heat water, make steam, steam pushes piston, piston pushes turbine. ??

Public School?