Scientists are racing to find solutions to common clean energy problems, such as solar energy storage, as the climate crisis approaches.
Solar energy is one of the best renewable resources we have, but it faces challenges that prevent it from becoming widely adopted and eventually replacing traditional energy sources. Because solar energy fluctuates throughout the day and year, it is critical to have a reliable storage system.
Solar energy is currently converted to electricity in solar cells, which cannot store energy indefinitely, and separate battery storage systems are inconvenient and costly. To address this issue, researchers are attempting to combine the power conversion and storage capacity requirements of solar energy into a single device.
Previous attempts to simplify solar energy conversion and storage combined two distinct components into a complex device architecture that was ultimately inefficient, costly, and heavy. However, significant progress has been made in combining these elements into a single device that shares elements and significantly reduces the problems associated with previous designs.
The findings were summarised in a paper published in Nano Research Energy on May 26. "The amount of received solar energy on the Earth's surface is up to 100,000 terawatt-hours, which completely meets the demand of the annual global energy consumption of 16 terawatts," said paper author Hairong Xue, an assistant professor at the National Institute for Materials Science in Tsukuba, Japan.
"However, like wind power, solar energy is intermittent due to fluctuations in isolation. Converted solar energy must be stored in other energy storage devices to balance supply and demand. As a result, it is critical to incorporate appropriate energy storage technologies into solar cells, allowing for effective solar energy utilisation and delivery of produced electricity when needed."
The paper summarises research on six types of photo-enhanced rechargeable metal batteries: lithium-ion, zinc-ion, lithium-sulfur, lithium-iodine, zinc-iodine, lithium-oxygen, zinc-oxygen, and lithium-carbon dioxide batteries. The authors explain the benefits and drawbacks of each type of battery and how they can be used for solar-to-electricity power conversion and storage.
Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, for example, which we are all familiar with because they are used in many modern electronic devices such as laptops, phones, and electric vehicles, are efficient but would be difficult to scale for solar energy use due to their complex structure. Researchers emphasise that this technology is still in its early stages and that more research is required.
Looking ahead, they hope to take the next steps toward better solar energy storage by utilising photo-enhanced rechargeable metal batteries. "It is necessary to investigate more suitable electrode materials and optimise the battery device structure," Xue said. "Stability and safety issues must be addressed and improved for practical applications." Although the development of photo-enhanced rechargeable metal batteries is well-founded, most studies are still in the early stages of laboratory testing.
The goal is to demonstrate viable uses of photo-enhanced rechargeable batteries in electronic and optoelectronic devices by addressing some critical challenges involving the working mechanism, electrode materials, and battery structure design." The researchers also hope to investigate how this technology could be applied to other types of energy conversion and storage systems.
No comments:
Post a Comment