Engineers have created a new method of storing concentrated solar thermal energy. This new technique will lower the cost and will enable solar thermal energy to be used on a wider scale, according to a study at Oregon State University.\
"With the compounds we're studying, there's significant potential to lower costs and increase efficiency," said Nick AuYeung, an author of the study and an assistant professor of chemical engineering, in a news release. "In these types of systems, energy efficiency is closely related to use of the highest temperatures possible."
The researchers' new thermochemical storage will eliminate the need of having to use acquired thermal energy immediately. The energy produced can be stored and used later when the electricity is most needed. Some of the energy could be used instantly, while the rest can be stored for future use. Long term storage will enable thermal energy to have wider uses and it will cut the need for immediate use, according to the researchers.
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