The solar fuels field is beginning to gather steam, and that could spell good news for fans of concentrating solar power. Compared to conventional solar panels, concentrating systems are sprawling, expensive, and complicated affairs. However, they can deliver high heat to produce fuel without the intervention of fossil energy, and that could help raise their profile in the US and elsewhere.as they are sometimes called.
Thermochemical systems are based on a steam-driven, superfast version of the rusting process that occurs when iron encounters water. That process releases hydrogen. After being reheated in a vacuum, the metal is reconstituted and ready to repeat the oxidation process.Well, that was then. The MIT team tweaked the process to capture up to 40% of energy from the sun.
The team called in an extrusion-based 3D printer to fabricate the structure with channels and pores that are wider at the surface to capture more sunlight. The printer also deployed a unique ink containing a high concentration of ceria particles to help boost the reaction. The next steps are up to the company Synhelion, which spun out of the ETH research and has licensed the 3D printing technology. Synhelion has already laid plans for a demonstration scalein Germany integrated with a concentrating solar power plant, with Swiss International Air Lines lined up to test the fuel in its aircraft. Construction began about 12 months ago, so stay tuned for a startup date.