It’s been a long time coming, but vintage solar energy storage research dating back to the 1980s (and beyond) is finally bearing fruit. In the latest development, scientists at the University of Houston in Texas have demonstrated proof of life for a hybrid device that collects and stores sunlight in the form of heat for 24/7 use. Nope, it’s not a concentrating solar system and it doesn’t rely on molten salt or specialized oils. It involves norbornadiene-quadricyclane, something fairly new on the CleanTechnica radar.
Energy Storage With Norbornadiene-Quadricyclane
Norbornadiene-quadricyclane has been studied for solar energy storage since at least 1983, when the American Chemical Society published a paper aptly titled, “Norbornadiene-quadricyclane system in the photochemical conversion and storage of solar energy” in the journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Process Design and Development.
The research toddled along slowly until a veritable volcano of new papers erupted in recent years. A 2016 study by a team of researchers in Sweden nails down the reason for the fresh burst of activity (emphasis added):
“Molecular photoswitches that are capable of storing solar energy, so-called molecular solar thermal storage systems, are interesting candidates for future renewable energy applications. In this context, substituted norbornadiene-quadricyclane systems have received renewed interest due to recent advances in their synthesis.“
Wait, What Is Norbornadiene-Quadricyclane?
Got all that? Compared to the olden days, nowadays a norbornadiene-quadricyclane system can be tailored more precisely for peak performance.
As for what norbornadiene-quadricyclane is, that’s the easy part. It’s a compound of two hydrocarbons (aka organic molecules), norbornadiene and quadricyclane.
And now for the super interesting part. Remember back in high school when isomers were a thing? In chemistry, isomers are two or more chemical compounds that have the same kind and number of atoms. The atoms are configured differently in each isomer, meaning that each isomer has different properties.
Using solar energy in the form of heat to “flip” one isomer to another is the heart of a norbornadiene-quadricyclane energy storage system.
Sunlight creates a reaction in norbornadiene, transforming it into quadricyclane. The switch from one to the other is also a switch from low energy state to a high energy state, which is where the energy storage angle comes in.
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