Solar Panels Could Come With Built-In Storage

Technology





Photo credit:

Schematic of polymer donors (green) and fullerene acceptors (purple, tan) that pass electrons to external fullerenes that store the charge. UCLA Chemistry

Inspired by the mechanisms used by plants for holding onto the energy they capture from the sun, UCLA researchers have created predecessors of solar cells that could one day store the energy they produce until it is most needed. If panels can be made in this way at commercial prices and efficiencies, the technology could remove the need for additional storage systems under many circumstances.