Okay, NOW We're Talking! Viable path forward for Fossil Fuel Replacement?

[code1211]

The stumbling over reaches by the Greenies to pretending that the world can function without Fossil Fuels have been ridiculous.

Now, however, there is a possibility that the world they have pretended exists might actually be coming into existence. If this article is not just hype, perhaps the future is now.

I have said for some time that the technologies required to make people change away from fossil fuels will occur naturally and without draconian dictatorial Government mandates WHEN THOSE CHANGES MAKE SENSE.

This article discusses a possible path forward toward a future with a better option than Fossil Fuels.

A "better option" is one that will make usable energy that is cheaper, more portable and more powerful than Fossil Fuels can provide. When that "better option" is available, people will choose it.

If you build it, they will come. It could be that they are building it right now. No windmills needed. This sounds like science fiction. Even to a person of the 1950's, MOST of today's world sounds like science fiction.

MSN

www.msn.com

<snip>
A group of researchers has created a liquid solar energy storage system that can create electricity on demand.

The system can store solar energy for up to 18 years, allowing them to release it when and where it is needed.

The system has been in the works for over a decade, and new advancement allows them to repurpose the stored solar energy using a small chip.
<snip>

Solar energy on demand even at night or in a thunderstorm. No polluting batteries? Maybe I'm reading more into this than is there... Anyway, NOW we're talking!

 

[ttwtt78640]

The stumbling over reaches by the Greenies to pretending that the world can function without Fossil Fuels have been ridiculous.

Now, however, there is a possibility that the world they have pretended exists might actually be coming into existence. If this article is not just hype, perhaps the future is now.

I have said for some time that the technologies required to make people change away from fossil fuels will occur naturally and without draconian dictatorial Government mandates WHEN THOSE CHANGES MAKE SENSE.

This article discusses a possible path forward toward a future with a better option than Fossil Fuels.

A "better option" is one that will make usable energy that is cheaper, more portable and more powerful than Fossil Fuels can provide. When that "better option" is available, people will choose it.

If you build it, they will come. It could be that they are building it right now. No windmills needed. This sounds like science fiction. Even to a person of the 1950's, MOST of today's world sounds like science fiction.

MSN

www.msn.com

<snip>
A group of researchers has created a liquid solar energy storage system that can create electricity on demand.

The system can store solar energy for up to 18 years, allowing them to release it when and where it is needed.

The system has been in the works for over a decade, and new advancement allows them to repurpose the stored solar energy using a small chip.
<snip>

Solar energy on demand even at night or in a thunderstorm. No polluting batteries? Maybe I'm reading more into this than is there... Anyway, NOW we're talking!

One very important thing was left out of the article - the power to weight ratio of this (possible) replacement for a battery.

 

[PoS]

Let's hope it happens, but Im not holding my breath.

 

[ttwtt78640]

Let's hope it happens, but Im not holding my breath.

It’s a two part system: the first part is storing electrify (possibly from wind or solar panels) in a liquid form and the second part is the controlled release of that stored energy as heat and converting the heat to electricity. It is the second part that needs vast improvement in order to make the (overall) system viable.

 

[longview]

I am not convinced this is any better then creating hydrocarbons as a way to store energy.
It is a good idea, but still has a heat engine phase in the energy recovery.
Hydrogen storage is also a possibility to store surplus electricity.
Hydrogen The renewable feedstock and energy carrier
Sunfire has an interesting approach for short term storage, where they use the energy to split hydrogen from
water, and then store the hydrogen. When the electricity is demanded back, the hydrogen is passed back through the
HyLink electrolyzers which operates as a fuel cell to make electricity.
For longer term storage, a carbon atom (captured from atmospheric CO2) can convert the hydrogen
into stable CH4 to supply the natural gas grid.

 

[Deuce]

One very important thing was left out of the article - the power to weight ratio of this (possible) replacement for a battery.

And whether scaling it up really is feasible and how much it might cost at scale.

 

[longview]

Molecular Solar Thermal Power Generation

Their suitable MOST properties let us combine them individually with a microelectromechanical ultrathin thermoelectric chip to use the stored solar energy for electrical power generation. The generator can produce a surface output power up to 1.2 mW·m-2 for the liquid form and 0.6 mW·m-2 for the neat film form.

I look at this, and I am thinking 0.6 mW m-2 is not a lot of power for a square meter.

 

[jmotivator]

The stumbling over reaches by the Greenies to pretending that the world can function without Fossil Fuels have been ridiculous.

Now, however, there is a possibility that the world they have pretended exists might actually be coming into existence. If this article is not just hype, perhaps the future is now.

I have said for some time that the technologies required to make people change away from fossil fuels will occur naturally and without draconian dictatorial Government mandates WHEN THOSE CHANGES MAKE SENSE.

This article discusses a possible path forward toward a future with a better option than Fossil Fuels.

A "better option" is one that will make usable energy that is cheaper, more portable and more powerful than Fossil Fuels can provide. When that "better option" is available, people will choose it.

If you build it, they will come. It could be that they are building it right now. No windmills needed. This sounds like science fiction. Even to a person of the 1950's, MOST of today's world sounds like science fiction.

MSN

www.msn.com

<snip>
A group of researchers has created a liquid solar energy storage system that can create electricity on demand.

The system can store solar energy for up to 18 years, allowing them to release it when and where it is needed.

The system has been in the works for over a decade, and new advancement allows them to repurpose the stored solar energy using a small chip.
<snip>

Solar energy on demand even at night or in a thunderstorm. No polluting batteries? Maybe I'm reading more into this than is there... Anyway, NOW we're talking!

That is VERY interesting and solves the hidden problem with solar panels.

We had a bunch of our neighbors go in on a neighborhood discount on solar panels last year and most found out that the "deal" was not what they thought it was.

The problem, which seems obvious in hindsight, is that Solar Panels without the huge added expense of a battery backup, is useless during power outages. Without the battery backup, the solar doesn't directly power your house, the electricity created is fed into the grid, and then the grid provides you power at a discount rate or free, depending on surplus/deficite production. So without the battery, if your neighborhood/house loses grid power you are SOL.

With the battery backup the solar feeds into the battery which then feeds into the grid... but if you lose power the solar panels feed the battery which powers the house.

With this new technology it appears that the solar panels are the battery, which saves a step!

 

[code1211]

One very important thing was left out of the article - the power to weight ratio of this (possible) replacement for a battery.

I assume there must be various shortfalls from real world usefullness at this point.

The HUGE drawback in all of the Greenie Tech stuff is that they require batteries to store the energy and then the battery disposal must be dealt with when the time comes.

If this can store energy with no battery, that sounds interesting. If the storage process makes it portable, powerful and cheap, that's the Magic Combination.

Sounds like this is in its infancy as a science. Hopefully, the answers we need will rise from the questions this is posing.

 

[longview]

I assume there must be various shortfalls from real world usefullness at this point.

The HUGE drawback in all of the Greenie Tech stuff is that they require batteries to store the energy and then the battery disposal must be dealt with when the time comes.

If this can store energy with no battery, that sounds interesting. If the storage process makes it portable, powerful and cheap, that's the Magic Combination.

Sounds like this is in its infancy as a science. Hopefully, the answers we need will rise from the questions this is posing.

Nature knows how to store energy,
Hydrocarbons, and Ammonia, but mostly hydrocarbons. Ammonia has about 75% of the energy density of CH4, but has been used as fuel.
On the plus side Ammonia is not carbon based,
on the minus side, it is a caustic gas, and does not have a supporting infrastructure or demand.