Scientists have developed a ceramic pump that can operate at 1,400 ˚C, several hundred degrees hotter than existing heat transfer systems, opening up significant new possibilities for energy storage.
Specifically, the authors of the new study, published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, believe it could be used to develop an efficient grid storage system that could eventually help make renewable sources like wind and solar as cheap and reliable as natural-gas plants (see “Serial Battery Entrepreneur’s New Venture Tackles Clean Energy’s Biggest Problem”).
The thermal storage system in question would use liquid metals like molten silicon, which would enable the storage and transfer of heat energy at far higher temperatures than materials typically used, such as molten salts. Higher temperatures mean that more thermal energy can be converted to mechanical or electrical energy, improving overall efficiency.
To read more, click here.