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Solar thermal energy
Danish Research Center Granted Millions to Focus on Storage of Solar Energy
“These are two very exciting assignments, which I am very confident that we can find a solution for over the next five years” says Mogens Brønsted Nielsen, professor at the newly established Department of Chemistry under the University of Copenhagen.
Together with his colleagues Kurt V. Mikkelsen and Henrik G. Kjærgaard, they plan to build molecules that can arrange themselves into either solar cells or a type of energy storing battery.
“Particularly in Denmark, where there are not that many hours of sunlight, it would be extremely relevant to have solar panels able to store energy for when it is needed”, says Mogens Brønsted Nielsen.
The three scientists already hold eight years of research with a molecule capable of storing solar power. When exposed to sunlight, the molecule changes structure and in the process of returning to its old state, it releases energy. The rate of the energy release is what the scientists must learn to control.
A flexible alternative to rigid solar panels
Although solar cells provide energy without any harmful environmental consequences, they do suffer from one consistent ill, namely being silicon based, making them heavy, fragile and rigid:
"Our plan is to develop solar cells based on organic molecules that incorporate carbon as their primary ingredient. If we could produce panels in the form of paint, it would be possible to mount the panels in places where it is impossible today”, says Nielsen.
Source: University of Copenhagen
