Heating accounts for nearly half of the global energy demand, and two-thirds of that is met by burning fossil fuels like natural gas, oil, and coal. Solar energy is a possible alternative, but while we have become reasonably good at storing solar electricity in lithium-ion batteries, we’re not nearly as good at storing heat.
To store heat for days, weeks, or months, you need to trap the energy in the bonds of a molecule that can later release heat on demand. The approach to this particular chemistry problem is called molecular solar thermal (MOST) energy storage. While it has been the next big thing for decades, it never really took off.
In a recent Science paper, a team of researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and UCLA demonstrate a breakthrough that might finally make MOST energy storage effective.
From Science - Ars Technica via this RSS feed
The researchers calculated a half-life of up to 481 days at room temperature for some derivatives. This means the fuel could be charged in the heat of July, and it would remain fully charged when you need to heat your home in January.
That’s a big deal for climates beyond the Tropics. In order to have eg 20kwh per day to heat a small home around say NYC, you need something absurd like 200kw of solar in January, assuming there’s sun. But in summer, that means there’s ludicrous over generation - winter needs more energy than summer AND there’s lots of sun in summer. Reusable and reliable long term storage could help.
Wait till you hear about coal.
You mean the dirtiest energy source we have?
The dirtiest… so far.
Yes, my flippant comment was not really about clean or sustainable energy sources, but more on the physics of how sunlight is trapped in plants and therefore coal and release millions of years later.
Typically, coal is usable once. I don’t think this fluid is usable only once.