Next-generation photovoltaics may be able to address one of the largest barriers to the green transition: intermittency. Both solar and wind energy, which make up the largest portion of global green energy capacity, are intermittent in nature and cannot generate electricity 24/7. As a result, current renewable energy infrastructure is reliant on complementary energy storage to store energy when production peaks and release it into the grid when demand is high but production is low.
Alongside lithium-ion batteries, thermal storage is emerging as one of the top energy storage alternatives for renewable energy facilities. A new class of photovoltaic batteries could potentially allow for consistent energy output from renewable energy plants by using radiation to turn stored heat into electricity.
Some of the more prominent thermal storage facilities use large mirrors to turn solar energy into heat, which is stored in molten salt reservoirs. Unfortunately, this technique is only cost-effective at larger scales and can be quite inefficient in converting heat to useful electricity.
Thermophotovoltaic devices (TPV), on the other hand, leverage radiation to generate electricity from thermal energy. They work by extracting infrared radiation from objects heated to very high temperatures, and tests at the University of Michigan and MIT have found that heat radiation conversion can be over 40% efficient.
A recent market-ready device uses electricity to heat a graphite or silicon block, but experiments with designs that use solar energy to heat the mediums could open the door to solar technology that can store and generate energy long after the sun has set.
A test currently being conducted in the south of France is measuring the feasibility of photovoltaics that use heat radiation conversion to address the intermittency inherent to solar energy. The PROMES Laboratory experiment uses graphite as a storage medium and heats it to very high temperatures using concentrated solar radiation.
The prototype has a tracking mirror and a parabolic mirror to maximize the amount of solar radiation it receives during the day. Although it is still in the testing stages, storage-integrated thermophotovoltaic devices (SISTPV) already make more financial sense at smaller scales compared to concentrated solar power plants and molten salt storage.
Once the technology is perfected, green energy plants will have access to photovoltaics that can generate and store renewable energy on their own, eliminating the need for complementary battery storage infrastructure. This technology would also allow for the deployment of renewable energy plants at a much faster rate, enabling the U.S. and other countries to achieve their sustainability commitments at a much faster pace.
As the next generation of photovoltaic energy is being developed, many enterprises like American Fusion Inc. (OTC: AMFN) are also engaged in developing other alternative sources of clean energy that can address market needs without contributing to the emissions accelerating climate change.
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