Building on regenerative photoelectrochemical solar cells and emerging electrochemical redox flow batteries (RFBs), more efficient, scalable, compact, and cost-effective hybrid energy conversion and storage devices could be realized. An integrated photoelectrochemical solar energy conversion and electrochemical storage device is developed by integrating regenerative silicon solar cells and 9,10-anthraquinone-2,7-disulfonic acid (AQDS)/1,2-benzoquinone-3,5disulfonic acid (BQDS) RFBs. The device can be directly charged by solar light without external bias, and discharged like normal RFBs with an energy storage density of 1.15 Wh L@1 and a solar-to-output electricity efficiency (SOEE) of 1.7 % over many cycles. The concept exploits a previously undeveloped design connecting two major energy technologies and promises a general approach for storing solar energy electrochemically with high theoretical storage capacity and efficiency.
In the News:
- David Tenenbaum, A marriage made in sunlight: Invention merges solar with liquid battery, UW News, 2016; ScienceDaily, 2016; ScienMag, 2016.
- Luke Dormehl, Solar-powered liquid battery hybrid prototype could be major breakthrough, Digital Trends, 2016.
- Meredith Rutland Bauer, The Quest for Solar Batteries, the Holy Grail of Clean Energy, Motherboard, 2016.
- Rachael Andrew, Battery technology aims to store the sun, The Daily Cardinal, 2016.
- This Solar-Charged Battery Directly Converts Sun’s Energy and Stores It in Liquid Electrolyte, TrendinTech, 2016.
- Jesse Allen, New in solar: nighttime batteries; when defects are good; boosting perovskite efficiency., Semiconductor Engineering, 2016.
- Luke Dormehl, Solar-powered liquid battery hybrid prototype could be major breakthrough, Yahoo News, 2016.
- A Marriage Made in Sunlight, R&D, 2016.
- New Invention Merges Solar and Liquid Batteries, The Science Explorer, 2016.