Researchers at the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden devised a system that captures solar energy, stores it for up to 18 years, and then releases this energy in the form of either electricity or heat when needed.
Solar energy could be available on cold, cloudy, or rainy days – when it is most needed.
This system is called Molecular Solar Thermal (MOST) Energy Storage and is based on a specifically designed molecule. It changes its shape under sunlight and turns into an isomer that can be stored as a liquid.
The Swedish research team recently collaborated with another team from China’s Shanghai Jiao Tong University that designed a generator to convert the stored energy into electricity. Since this generator is in the shape of an ultra-thin chip, a vital application of the MOST system is self-charging electronics – namely, smartphones, smartwatches, tablets, and laptops.