Chemists At UCLA Develop Solar Cells Inspired From Plants
Imagine yourself enjoying high-voltage requiring appliances such as air-conditioners, microwaves etc. in your home throughout the day, without incurring heavy bills. A team of chemists at University of California, Los Angeles is working on a technology to make this a reality. They have developed a technology can store energy, just like plants, for weeks. Using the existing technologies, solar panels on rooftops can store solar energy only for microseconds. The UCLA team led by Sarah Tolber, a chemistry professor, has made it possible for solar cells to store energy for longer amount of time. This technology has been inspired by natural energy generated by the process of plant photosynthesis.
The team first selected a few plant leaves and analysed them. They found tiny nano-structures, which separate positively and negatively charged particles. These nano-structures were found to increase the efficiency of photosynthesis. Therefore, the researchers decided to replicate these nano-structures and deploy the replicas in a system that could potentially store energy for weeks or months.
The system consists of a “noodle and meatball structureâ€, out of which some of the 'meatballs (fullerene acceptor) are placed within the 'noodle structure' (polymer donor) while the rest of the fullerene acceptors stay outside. The acceptors that stay inside assemble the electrons and pas them to the fullerene acceptors that stay outside. The charge that need to be stored is stored from the 'noodle structure' for weeks. The whole system can be assembled automatically when kept in water.
Though the technology is in a nascent stage, the researchers are working to use it in existing solar cells. The deployment and commercial availability of the technology may need some time. One of the advantages of this technology is that it is cost-effective because it requires the use of plastics instead of silicone, that is being used in existing solar panels.
This UCLA technology could cause a breakthrough in the energy storage systems, thus paving the way to providing unlimited and incessant energy throughout the day.
How do you find this new technology from UCLA team? Do you think it could solve the existing problem of energy inefficiency and unavailability in many parts of world, including India? Share your views with us in the comments' section below.
Source: <a href="https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ucla-chemists-devise-technology-that-could-transform-solar-energy-storage" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">UCLA chemists devise technology that could transform solar energy storage | UCLA</a>
The team first selected a few plant leaves and analysed them. They found tiny nano-structures, which separate positively and negatively charged particles. These nano-structures were found to increase the efficiency of photosynthesis. Therefore, the researchers decided to replicate these nano-structures and deploy the replicas in a system that could potentially store energy for weeks or months.
The system consists of a “noodle and meatball structureâ€, out of which some of the 'meatballs (fullerene acceptor) are placed within the 'noodle structure' (polymer donor) while the rest of the fullerene acceptors stay outside. The acceptors that stay inside assemble the electrons and pas them to the fullerene acceptors that stay outside. The charge that need to be stored is stored from the 'noodle structure' for weeks. The whole system can be assembled automatically when kept in water.
Though the technology is in a nascent stage, the researchers are working to use it in existing solar cells. The deployment and commercial availability of the technology may need some time. One of the advantages of this technology is that it is cost-effective because it requires the use of plastics instead of silicone, that is being used in existing solar panels.
This UCLA technology could cause a breakthrough in the energy storage systems, thus paving the way to providing unlimited and incessant energy throughout the day.
How do you find this new technology from UCLA team? Do you think it could solve the existing problem of energy inefficiency and unavailability in many parts of world, including India? Share your views with us in the comments' section below.
Source: <a href="https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ucla-chemists-devise-technology-that-could-transform-solar-energy-storage" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">UCLA chemists devise technology that could transform solar energy storage | UCLA</a>
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