What is it about?
New research on a promising solar energy technology that can both capture sunlight and store it as chemical energy. This new concept, which combines the functions of a solar panel and a battery, was previously thought to lose efficiency as it got hotter. But a recent study, published by a research team led by Dr Dowon Bae at Loughborough University, revealed an unexpected benefit of the heat generated by the sun.
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Why is it important?
The team discovered that as the temperature of the solar charging device increased, the cell's ability to produce an electrochemical current significantly improved because the heat accelerated the internal chemical reactions and enhanced the energy storage efficiency. This finding challenges the conventional belief that such heat would always harm performance, and it suggests a hidden advantage to a device heating up in the sun.
Perspectives
This breakthrough could lead to a revolution in how we design and optimise future solar energy systems. Instead of fighting against the heat, engineers can now use it to their advantage, creating more efficient solar energy storage solutions. By understanding and harnessing this hidden synergy effect, we can ultimately make integrated solar technology a more viable option for storing solar energy efficiently.
Dowon Bae
Loughborough University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Temperature impact on thermo-electrochemical behavior of silicon-based photoelectrochemical flow cells, The Journal of Chemical Physics, August 2025, American Institute of Physics,
DOI: 10.1063/5.0283536.
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