Superman is cool, right? He's strong, reliable and gets his power from the sun. So, what if there was a renewable energy source that did all that and more, a veritable savior of the alternative energies world? Here, I introduce you to the Superman of solar energy.
Alternative energies are not talked about too much in the news, let alone the advancement or fine details of them. In light of such sparse coverage, I am going to discuss what I believe to be the future of solar energy. Back in 2010, scientists at MIT announced that a compound called Fulvalene Diruthenium had promised in the solar energy realm. Fulvalene Diruthenium is essentially a heat battery. The compound has the unique capacity to reconfigure into a higher energy state when exposed to heat or sunlight through isomerization, store that heat, and then release it by reconfiguring back into its original, lower energy state, all without degrading the compound.This may all sound like a bunch of chemistry-jargon to some, so here is a short video by a professor at MIT that explains what it is doing and why with an added visual aid.
So, what does this mean for solar energy? It means that it's closer to an even more practical future, yet not quite there. Ruthenium, being a metal that isn’t very common and has other practical uses, is expensive especially if put into commercial use. The price of a gram of Ruthenium right now is about $1.35, and that’s a low point for the last five years. That is the overarching killer of alternate energies if it's practical for consumers (i.e. is it affordable, safe, and easy to maintain). It seems, then, that Fulvalene Diruthenium is somewhat dead in the water as. Fortunately enough, the same scientists who worked on Fulvalene Diruthenium and its applications have made another, equally as important breakthrough. They can do the same thing, but cheaper and better. The new approach utilizes science’s old friend, carbon nanotubes as well as a compound called Azobenzene. This incredible structure is more efficient, viable, and cheaper than its Fulvalene predecessor at storing and retrieving heat energy without degradation. The article explains in further detail the specifications of this compound, but here’s a picture of the compound and its heat-storage process.
Looks familiar, right? The Azobenzene compound functions very similarly to how Fulvalene Diruthenium does (it's even an isomer too, meaning it goes through isomerization), with the added benefit of being better in every aspect, the most important being COST. Carbon nanotubes are inexpensive and Azobenzene has been synthesized since the 40’s. So, what all this means is that there exists a cost-effective, safe, and reliable form of renewable energy being developed and perfected to its farthest extent. It also means that our reliance on fossil fuels and non-renewable resources for energy or energy sources that disrupt or harm the environment is being combatted with a hopeful future end.
However, where’s the public support? The news coverage? Why did I not hear about viable solar batteries until I explicitly searched for the advances in renewable energy? Here lies the inherent issue that the sciences in general face, especially sciences that are focused on areas that could disrupt an economic balance. People do not know about it or the news does not cover it because it’s “not interesting” or not a “hot topic”. This article will not turn into a forum of bashing the news industry, but everyone I have talked to about the research being put into these new energy sources are astounded and want to learn more about them. Once the public gets involved and invested in something, it is hard to stop it. That is what renewable energies, especially those in development, need in order to stay alive and advancing. That is precisely why I wrote this article, in order to inform others of something our future may depend on.
This energy source could save the planet, in a non hyperbolic way. It has the serious capacity to change the way we, as a race, see energy sources and gathering. Barren deserts could be used to power entire countries, the cost would allow third-world countries to develop further and progress their infrastructure, and we wouldn't be poisoning our environment any longer. This is important because it is a real step in the right direction, something the rising generations need to be concerned and involved with. Nonrenewable resources will likely run out within the next few lifetimes, so what then? Does the planet just turn into Mad Max or Fallout? Hopefully not. With the further integration of these renewable and cost-effective resources we may just save ourselves. Superman is real, my friends, but he is not a man by any means.
If you’re interested in learning more about these or any other scientific advances, MIT has their own campus news and some of the sites I linked in this article are wonderful sources of information.