Dr. Kasper Moth-Poulson and his team have found a novel way to store solar energy
Solar-powered technology is one step closer to becoming commonplace thanks to a “radical” new scientific breakthrough.
In 2017, scientists at a Swedish university created an energy system that allows solar energy to be captured and stored for up to 18 years, releasing it as heat when needed.
Now the researchers have managed to make the system produce electricity by connecting it to a thermoelectric generator. Although still in its early stages, the concept developed at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg could pave the way for self-charging electronics that use stored solar energy on demand.
“This is a radically new way of generating electricity from solar energy. It means that we can use solar energy to produce electricity regardless of the weather, the time of day, the season of the year or geographical location,” explains the director of the research, Kasper Moth-Poulsen, professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Chalmers.
“I’m very excited about this job,” he adds. “We hope that with future development this will be an important part of the future energy system.”