Recent research suggests that seasonal solar heat storage, long considered one of the hardest problems in clean energy, may be chemically feasible. A new study, reported by ZME Science, describes a liquid, DNA inspired molecule capable of storing solar energy as heat for more than a year with minimal losses.
Heating accounts for nearly half of global energy consumption, and most of it still depends on fossil fuels. While solar power is abundant, its intermittency creates a mismatch between supply and demand. Energy is most available in summer, while heating needs peak in winter. Existing approaches typically convert solar power into electricity and store it in batteries, a process that introduces losses and becomes inefficient at large scales.
The new research explores molecular solar thermal energy storage, which stores sunlight directly in chemical bonds rather than converting it into electricity. When exposed to sunlight, the engineered molecule shifts into a higher energy state and retains that energy until triggered to release it as heat.
The design is inspired by the way ultraviolet light damages DNA, temporarily forcing parts of the molecule into strained configurations. By translating this biological effect into synthetic chemistry, the researchers created a small organic molecule that reliably stores energy under sunlight and releases it on demand.
A key advancement is that the molecule remains liquid at room temperature without requiring solvents. This improves energy density and avoids safety issues associated with earlier systems. In laboratory tests, the material reached an energy density of about 1.65 megajoules per kilogram and remained stable for hundreds of days. When activated, it released enough heat to boil water under ambient conditions.
The technology is still at an early research stage. The molecule absorbs only a narrow ultraviolet portion of sunlight, which limits efficiency, and the heat release process relies on a catalyst that would need refinement for practical use. Even so, the study shows that long term solar heat storage without electrical batteries is chemically possible. With further development, molecular thermal storage could eventually support seasonal heating and complement existing renewable energy systems.
Leave a Reply