Search the Community

there are caveats of course.

One of the biggest hurdles to widespread adoption of renewables is energy storage. Where do you store energy when the sun's not shining, the wind's not blowing, etc.? A Swedish research team believes it found the breakthrough renewables was looking for, a solar thermal fuel that can store the sun's energy for up to 18 years. Hydrocarbons, in part, became the world's dominant energy source because they are relatively cheap to extract, can be stored for long periods of time, and can be utilized immediately. These factors make it a great source for energy to power on-demand. As batteries continue to develop in their capacity to store energy and for long periods of time, they have begun to supplant hydrocarbons, i.e. electric vehicles. As an alternative to batteries, the specialized solar thermal fluid can hold the sun's energy for long periods of time and expel that energy on demand. Unlike batteries, which discharge electricity, the solar thermal fuel emits heat when activated through a catalyst. This means the fluid would be ideal for heating residential and commercial homes. Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2018/11/06/scientists-reveal-strange-molecule-that-can-store-suns-energy-for-18-years/#4d2a30234835 https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2018/11/06/scientists-reveal-strange-molecule-that-can-store-suns-energy-for-18-years/#4d2a30234835

It was a transaction concocted on Twitter — and in a few short weeks, declared official: Tesla is helping to bring power back to Puerto Rico. Early this month, Elon Musk touted his companyÂ’s work building solar-plus-battery systems for small islands like Kauai in Hawaii and TaÂ’u in American Samoa. He suggested a similar setup could work for Puerto Rico. The U.S. territoryÂ’s governor, Ricardo Rosselló, tweeted that he was game. Musk replied quickly: “Hopefully, Tesla can be helpful.” After earlier reports of the companyÂ’s batteries arriving at San JuanÂ’s port, Tesla announced today that it has started constructing its first microgrid installation, laying out a solar field and setting up its refrigerator-sized Powerpack batteries to supply electricity to a childrenÂ’s hospital in the Puerto Rican capital.   Read more: http://grist.org/article/tesla-and-solar-groups-put-puerto-rico-back-on-the-grid/