The breakthroughs just keep on comin’
This week two news items have proved that innovation in the solar energy sector is not only alive and humming but well on the way to shaping our energy future. The first is based on nothing new. Indeed it was originally proposed in a 1941 story by science fiction author Isaac Asimov.
With climate change now threatening our very survival as a species — according to the more downbeat of scientific studies — and with a general lack of political will to do anything about it, it may take something completely from left field to save the planet. Enter solar energy and the Asimov proposal.
Essentially the idea involves orbiting solar panels which beam endless solar energy to a transmitter on Earth for our power needs. The potential for supplying our Earth with solar energy — thereby massively reducing our dependence on fossil fuel energy — is enormous.
However as discussed here in our April 28 article, the idea has jumped from the realms of science fiction into the blueprint mode. Indeed some serious backers have entered the “solar panel in space” debate. One is US-based solar company Solaren, who predict we will see a version of this space-based solar power by the end of the decade.
Paul Jaffe, a spacecraft engineer at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory agrees.
“If you put the solar panel in space, it’s going to be illuminated 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 99% of the year,” Jaffe told Business Insider.
The key is “even on the night side of the Earth [the satellite could] be in sunlight almost all the time,” he said.
The second piece of news covers the latest (and perhaps more prosaic) research by the highly-respected Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). While not as eye-catching, the research may have just a revolutionary effect because of the research improvements in the way solar panels absorb the sun’s energy.
The technology is a combination of graphite flakes atop carbon foam which floats on a body of water. This traps solar energy in the top layer, which is released as steam in the uppermost surface. According to Hadi Ghasemi, from MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, the reductions in cost are potentially huge.
Ghasemi told Sourceable.net that: “Steam is important for desalination, hygiene systems, and sterilisation,” he said. “Especially in remote areas where the sun is the only source of energy, if you can generate steam with solar energy, it would be very useful.”
While these uses are vitally important, your correspondent wonders how long before we see a version of this technology powering our current thermal coal fired power stations?
We can see that innovation in the solar energy sector, both from left and right field, is ongoing with new, exciting developments being reported almost daily. But what of the future? Perhaps the next breakthrough research we next expect to hear about is the work done on solar storage. This is the real game changer. While the technology currently exists to store solar energy efficiently (someone should tell our PM this), making it affordable for households is the next challenge.
In short, storage needs to charge down the cost curve in the same way as have solar panels in recent years. Indeed most involved in the solar battery industry say this is just a matter of time.
We’ll keep you posted as the expected storage developments come through!
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“While the technology currently exists to store solar energy efficiently (someone should tell our PM this), making it affordable for households is the next challenge. In short, storage needs to charge down the cost curve….” Um, lets see – the technology exists … riiiight …. but its not affordable for households ????? For goodness sake – where is the sense in this story? There are plenty of “I wish we could do this ” options to discuss, but just wishing for something is a waste of typing – and I wouldn’t hurry about telling the PM about it either.
Lets see …. I wish we could get nuclear fusion to work, um I wish we could …..
Thanks Ray, appreciate your input. Solar storage already exists overseas through concentrating solar power. However this is at the large scale solar. Research continues to bring solar storage down to the household level which according to many experts is not only feasible but likely in the mid to short term (see comment below).Committed government investment and support is an important factor. Hence my comment.
Very much interested in getting solar storage and off the grid ASAP Rich. Is the Liquid metal battery the best thing in sight or is there a better possibility? Brian.
Hello Brian, thanks for your input. I’m hoping to add more articles on solar storage in the very near future, Don’t hesitate to ask Finn at our Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/SolarQuotes?ref=hl should you have a query about the economics of going off grid.
One possibility for homes is manganese batteries, see MIT, cost the same as lead acid batteries, but last twice as long so basically half of the price. Heat up less, are smaller, rolling off the production lines now, but demand, naturally outstrips supply, for now.
Hi Rich,
I assume you have heard about the Zero Carbon Australia Stationary Energy plan. It is writen by Beyond zero emissions, Melb UNI and the energy research institute. If not I would be delighted to sent you one. In short for those who don’t know it is a reserach volume that shows in simple language how Australia can go 100% renewable base load power in 10 years with Concentrated solar power with molten salts and storage, Wind, Hydro and biomass back up. Your suggestion to tell our pollies. I just gave the book to our Local Lib. MP. (haven’t yet got on to our PM) few more apointments are set. I have a follow up meeting in a few weeks time. Who knows. Will let you know the outcome.
Cheers,
Kurt.
Thanks Kurt. I’d love to get a copy of the plan. Very interested in CSP and storage and the ramifications for the future. Would you (a) let me know where to send my contact details and (b) be OK for a follow up interview (probably email)?
Rich happy to suply book. Email is good to send contact details. and yes hapy for follow up.
Cheers,
K.
Great thanks Kurt.
Hi Rich, Still waiting for your email were to send the book. Cheers,
Kurt.
Hi Kurt, apologies for slowness of reply. Please send the pdf report to [email protected].
—the future is only
limited by what we think we cannot do—-