A fluid can store solar energy and then release it as heat months later

7 days ago

Heating accounts for nearly half of global energy demand, with two-thirds met by fossil fuels.
Solar energy is an alternative, but heat storage remains a challenge compared to electricity storage.
Molecular Solar Thermal (MOST) energy storage aims to store heat in molecular bonds for later release.
Past MOST solutions faced issues like low energy storage, degradation, or toxic solvents.
Researchers from UC Santa Barbara and UCLA made a breakthrough in MOST energy storage.
The team drew inspiration from DNA damage caused by UV light to improve energy storage.
UV light can cause DNA bases to link, forming lesions that twist into Dewar isomers, disrupting DNA.
An enzyme called photolyase evolved to repair these lesions, restoring DNA stability.

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