Energy Storage Technologies being tested by California & Ohio Smart-Grid programs
Aide Solar Displays New Renewable Energy Battery Storage & LED Lights
Lithium-Ion Battery performance improved with new process
Ultra-Lightweight, Affordable Solar Panel Technology uses 1/100 of Silicon in Conventional
PG&E Pushing for Pumped Hydro Energy Storage
Panasonic and Sanyo Plan Storage Battery for Home Solar Applications
Hydrogen Storage Tanks Could Revolutionize Renewable Energy Industry
Lithium-Ion Battery Capacity Increased 10X with Silicon Nanopores
New Energy Debuts SolarWindow using Spray-On Solar Technology
BYD to Create Wind Energy Storage Unit for LA
Company Turns Waste Heat Into Inexpensive Usable Energy
The Secret to a Better Solar Cell? A Trillion Holes
Kyocera Achieves World Record Solar Module Efficiency
Cogenra Solar Concentrator uses PV - Thermal Cogeneration Technology
MIT Researchers print Solar Cells on Paper
Energy Storage Technology Advances with Thermo-Chemical Storage Technology
Chemical energy storage research points the way to next-generation batteries that will use Thermo-Chemical storage
With current solar technology, there are some important limitations that have hampered a broad and widespread adoption of the technology. Chief among these limitations is the difficulty of storing the energy generated by solar panels so that the electricity can be provided on-demand at any time of day. Current solutions to this problem involve either storing the electricity in chemical batteries or converting the solar energy into molten salt or compressed air. But none of these current solutions is a total solution: batteries have to be carefully monitored to avoid overheating or improper charging (or as people have found to their dismay, they tend to explode... kaboom!), while molten salt and compressed air technology are still maturing and it is still unknown whether they will prove to be efficient and cost-effective.
MIT's 'aha' Moment: re-investigate thermo-chemical Storage
Aware of these limitations, a team of MIT researchers have spent the last few years re-investigated a concept from the 1970s called thermo-chemical storage. The concept of thermo-chemical storage is to harness the chemical properties of specific unique molecules which can be switched between a 'storage' state where they store energy and a 'release' state where they release the stored energy as heat.
The original work from the 1970s showed promise but the original research teams were unable to discover a molecule exhibiting the necessary properties. In 1996 such a molecule was actually discovered, and was dubbed Fulvalene Diruthenium. But it relied on a rare element called Ruthenium that made it impractical for widespread adoption. And an even more difficult problem was that researchers were unable to explain how it actually worked, which made it impossible to search for other, more suitable replacements. The major advance now being announced by MIT is that its research team has analyzed the Fulvalene Diruthenium molecule and now fully understands the mechanisms that enable its unique properties. The video below explains the work in more detail:
This groundbreaking work now paves the way for future research that is expected to soon lead to new energy storage molecules that will lead to an entirely new class of highly-efficient batteries. These batteries, dubbed 'rechargeable heat batteries', would be able to store and release heat energy from the sun and other sources as well. According to Jeffrey Grossman, Professor of Power Engineering at MIT primary researcher on the team, a 'rechargeable heat battery' would be able to "get as hot as 200 degrees C, plenty hot enough to heat your home, or even to run an engine to produce electricity."
Now the race is on to find the next super-molecule to power these energy storage batteries. With the current interest in energy storage, billions of dollars are at stake and we can expect a highly competitive field of thermal storage researchers all scrambing to be the first to invent the first practical thermo-chemical battery.
Recommended for Further Reading:
- Energy Storage Technologies being tested by California & Ohio Smart-Grid programs
- Aide Solar Displays New Renewable Energy Battery Storage & LED Lights
- Lithium-Ion Battery performance improved with new process
- Ultra-Lightweight, Affordable Solar Panel Technology uses 1/100 of Silicon in Conventional
- PG&E Pushing for Pumped Hydro Energy Storage
- Panasonic and Sanyo Plan Storage Battery for Home Solar Applications
- Hydrogen Storage Tanks Could Revolutionize Renewable Energy Industry
- Lithium-Ion Battery Capacity Increased 10X with Silicon Nanopores
- New Energy Debuts SolarWindow using Spray-On Solar Technology
- BYD to Create Wind Energy Storage Unit for LA
- Company Turns Waste Heat Into Inexpensive Usable Energy
- The Secret to a Better Solar Cell? A Trillion Holes
- Kyocera Achieves World Record Solar Module Efficiency
- Cogenra Solar Concentrator uses PV - Thermal Cogeneration Technology
- MIT Researchers print Solar Cells on Paper
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Energy Storage Technology Advances with Thermo-Chemical Storage... http://t.co/Lbf9U1L4 #eco #cleantech #greenbuilding #renewableenergy
Excellent video on wind engrey! Wind engrey is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. The advantages of wind engrey are not new, wind power has been harnessed from a long time Wind engrey represents nearly 5% of the US electrical generation and is targeted to reach 20% in the future. Pacific Crest Transformers is a transformer company that works in the wind engrey sector. Visit the Pacific Crest Transformers website for more
The best would be calcium chliorde, if it is cheap in your area. This is because calcium chliorde contributes 3 ions to lowering the freezing point of water, compared to 2 of sodium chliorde. But sodium chliorde, salt, may be cheap for you. In Michigan, I am told that the state uses lactose sugar from cheese making to put on the roads, because they have that cheapest of all. Lactose contributes only one molecule toward lowering the freezing point.
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Energy Storage Technology Advances with Thermo-Chemical Storage... http://t.co/LbferBUe #eco #cleantech #greenbuilding #renewableenergy
Energy Storage Technology Advances with Thermo-Chemical Storage... http://t.co/LbferBUe #eco #cleantech #greenbuilding #renewableenergy
Energy Storage Technology Advances with Thermo-Chemical Storage... http://t.co/LbferBUe #eco #cleantech #greenbuilding #renewableenergy
Energy Storage Technology Advances with Thermo-Chemical Storage... http://bit.ly/aT7Niv #eco #cleantech #greenbuilding #renewableenergy
Energy Storage Industry Advances with Disruptive Next-Gen Thermo-Chemical Storage Technology - via @Buildaroo.com http://goo.gl/fa9rB