Beyond the rather low efficiency of today’s solar panels in converting the power of the sun into electricity, the ...

Stearic acid is a fatty acid derived from nature. It acts as the phase-change material. When the sun hits the black ...

Solar energy has a simple but annoying weakness. It disappears when the sun does.

Phase-change materials have been used in lots of applications for a long time. Paraffin is common, because it's cheap and has a low melting point. This is nothing new, except perhaps in their choice ...

Scientists at U.C. Santa Barbara have developed a new kind of “liquid battery” that can capture sunlight and release it later as heat, a breakthrough researchers say could help solve one of renewable ...

A close-up of a laboratory glassware setup with clear liquid-filled joints and tubing, secured with a red screw cap that appears illuminated under lab lighting. The apparatus is clamped onto a blue ...

A major development in sustainable architecture has enabled researchers to convert ordinary timber into an advanced thermal ...

Centuries ago, alchemists worked furiously to convert the common metal lead to valuable gold. Today, chemists are repurposing discarded solar panels to create valuable organic compounds from carbon ...

Thermal energy storage is pretty great, as phase-change energy storage is very consistent with its energy output over time, unlike chemical batteries. You also get your pick from a wide range of ...