Scientists have developed a material that can be used to harvest electricity from the Sun’s heat, paving the way for generating cheaper solar power on cloudy days and at nighttime. The innovation is an important step for putting solar heat-to-electricity generation in direct cost competition with fossil fuels, researchers said. “Storing solar energy as heat can already be cheaper than storing energy via batteries, so the next step is reducing the cost of generating electricity from the Sun’s heat with the added benefit of zero greenhouse gas emissions,” said Kenneth Sandhage, a professor at Purdue University in the US. Concentrated solar power plants convert solar energy into electricity by using mirrors or lenses to concentrate a lot of light onto a small area, which generates heat that is transferred to a molten salt. Ceramic–metal composites for heat exchangers in concentrated solar power plants. Image: Purdue Heat from the molten salt is then transferred to a “working” fluid, supercritical carbon dioxide, that expands and works to spin a turbine for generating electricity. To make solar-powered electricity cheaper, the turbine engine would need to generate even more electricity for the same amount of heat, which means the engine needs to run […]
Latest Articles
United Airlines Will Invest in Carbon Capture En Route to Net Zero Emissions
United Airlines Boeing 737 takes off from Los Angeles international Airport on November 11, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. AaronP / Bauer-Griffin /...
6 Eco-Friendly Kitchen Hacks You Need to Try Today
The average American kitchen is incredibly inefficient and not eco-friendly. From water-guzzling appliances to immense amounts of food waste, we all need to...
The Surprising Environmental Benefits of Using an Organic Mattress
There are a lot of things that you need to keep in mind when you are trying to live a green lifestyle ....
The secret power of old growth
More than ever, as the Forest Service seeks to undo logging restrictions, we need to embrace the crucial way old-growth forests keep the...
From Store to Door with Minimal Impact: How Companies Are Eco-Friendly Innovators
Even without the pandemic turning the world on its head in 2020, fast courier services are quickly becoming popular for a generation that...
A Reuse Renaissance Continues to Reshape Mexico City
A balcony at Círculo Mexicano Courtesy Gabriel Monroy The practice of converting aging buildings for different, more timely functions isn’t new in Mexico...