Why This Liquid That Stores Solar Energy for Years Matters

Storing solar energy cheaply and efficiently is a key component for the future of renewable energy.

A recent breakthrough could allow us to store solar energy directly into a liquid for up to 18 years .

Concentration solar energy plants could use that heat for producing electricity, cement, steel, green hydrogen, or anything else that needs high temperatures.

Power tower systems use flat sun tracking mirrors known as heliostats to focus and concentrate the sunlight onto a receiver at the top of a tower.

The largest concentrated solar thermal plant in the U.S. is the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System in the Mojave Desert of California , which can generate 392 megawatts .

Scientists from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have been developing a fluid that's potentially able to store energy for up to 18 years .

The fluid contains a molecule that's composed of carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen.

When hit by sunlight, the molecule undergoes transformation into an isomer with high energy, which is a molecule made-up of the same atoms but bonded together into a new shape.

In order to manage the storage and release the energy from the liquid, the research team created a catalyst to act as a filter for the liquid.

Once it's back into its original state, it's ready to capture more solar energy.