Thermal Energy Storage
Thermal Energy Storage is one of the hottest fields in renewable energy technology today. No matter how much electricity solar panels may be able to generate, they will remain an inefficient power source unless their electrical output can properly be stored.
One approach researchers are taking to improve thermal energy storage is to increase the capacity of solar batteries. The Tesla Powerwall is a great example of this. A battery designed to automatically charge itself with a house's solar panels, the Tesla Powerwall acts as a building's electricity source during the night and during blackouts.
Vocab
Thermal Energy Storage
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The storage of electricity generated by solar cells.
Solar Fuels
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A newly developing concept in thermal energy storage.
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Involves storing sunlight energy in common molecules like water or carbon dioxide for later use.
The Tesla Powerwall.
Image: sol-up
Other scientists and engineers focus on the development of solar fuels to improve thermal energy storage. Solar fuels are a way to store sunlight energy for use at a later time using easily accessible materials like water. This way, we can store electricity produced by PV tech, and access it even when the sun is not shining.
Unfortunately, solar fuels are still experimental and expensive to create. As a result, they are not yet ready to be used as a viable replacement for current thermal energy storage technology.
A cyclical expression of the creation and use of solar fuels.
Image: The Department of Energy Office of Science
References
“DOE Explains...Solar Fuels.” Energy.gov, U.S. Department of Energy, www.energy.gov/science/doe-explainssolar-fuels.
Papadantonakis, Kimberly, and Nate Lewis. “Solar Fuels.” Lewis Research Group, June 2016, nsl.caltech.edu/home/solar-fuels/.
“Tesla Powerwall Installation Las Vegas, NV - Sol-Up Inc.” Sol-Up, 21 Dec. 2020, www.solup.com/tesla-powerwall-installation-las-vegas-nv/.