By Melissa Breyer, Source: Huffington Post

Scientists at MIT and Harvard University have revealed a novel way to store solar energy in molecules that can be used as fuel to heat homes or used for cooking, reports The Atlantic.

According to the researchers, the large-scale use of solar energy will require significant advances in storage technologies to meet the demands of an energy-hungry population. Other than liquid fuels, they say, existing energy-storage materials do not offer the necessary mix of high energy density, high stability, easy handling, transportability and low cost.

But it looks like that could change with the use of “photoswitching” molecules. The molecules comprise a set of innovative materials that absorb energy, store it, and then release it when needed.

“Some molecules, known as photoswitches, can assume either of two different shapes, as if they had a hinge in the middle,” said the MIT researchers. “Exposing them to sunlight causes them to absorb energy and jump from one configuration to the other, which is then stable for long periods of time.”

To release that energy for use, the molecules simply need to be exposed to a small amount of light, heat or electricity, making them switch back to their other shape and radiate heat. “In effect, they behave as rechargeable thermal batteries: taking in energy from the sun, storing it indefinitely, and then releasing it on demand,” the scientists said.

Read the full article at: Huffington Post