From nighttime photo voltaic panels to algae biofuels, rising analysis offered at Power Options Week

On Tuesday, Stanford researchers showcased revolutionary vitality expertise developments, from cutting-edge batteries to nature-based carbon seize applied sciences, as a part of Power Options Week.

Stanford Power Options Week was a four-day occasion held on the Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Middle. Hosted by Precourt Institute for Power, the invite-only occasion was the principle annual technical symposium to showcase Stanford’s energy-related analysis this yr. Every of the 4 days centered on a distinct subject, together with vitality methods and lengthy length vitality storage.

“The Power Options Week is supposed to have our business companions, college professors and college students come collectively,” mentioned Yi Cui, Director of Precourt Institute for Power and professor of supplies science and engineering within the day’s opening assertion.

In a separate interview with The Day by day, Cui defined the totally different functions of Power Options Week and World Power Discussion board, which was held fall of 2022. 

“The GEF was extra for coverage and leaders coming in,” Cui mentioned. “Now you come again to Power Options Week, and we need to concentrate on every space of technical options and what’s attainable.”

Throughout a panel dialogue about vitality conversion applied sciences, Shanhui Fan, professor {of electrical} engineering, described his analysis on utilizing passive radiation to generate cooling.

Passive radiation cooling is completed by utilizing highly-reflective supplies to passively mirror mild and warmth out into area. Utilizing this impact, engineers can primarily cool the fabric to beneath ambient temperature, Fan defined.

“With radiative cooling, you’re attempting to reap the coldness of the universe,” Fan mentioned. “The thought was to develop a cloth that strongly displays daylight by radiating. In our experiment on the roof of a Stanford constructing, you may get a temperature beneath ambient air passively with out electrical energy.”

One other use of this expertise is to generate electrical energy from temperature variations.

“Nearly any materials could be made right into a radiative cooler, together with a photo voltaic panel,” Fan mentioned. “Based mostly on this truth, we’ve just lately performed an experiment the place we put a thermoelectric generator on the again of a photo voltaic panel and confirmed that you would truly get electrical energy at evening.”

Whereas the expertise is way from being industrial, analysis from Fan’s lab reveals the potential of mixing tried-and-true photo voltaic panels with thermoelectric mills.

In one other panel, three Stanford professors mentioned the way forward for excessive vitality density lithium steel batteries, that are totally different from at present used lithium-ion batteries.

“Changing the graphite anode [in traditional lithium-ion batteries] with lithium steel, we will now have a lot greater vitality density in a small area,” mentioned Wendy Gu, assistant professor of mechanical engineering. “That’s attainable as a result of now we’re utilizing a stable electrolyte that’s far more chemically secure. This lets us package deal [the battery] right into a smaller quantity.”

Historically, lithium-ion batteries, resembling these in electrical autos, use a liquid electrolyte. The electrolyte is used to conduct electrical energy throughout the battery. Strong state batteries utilizing lithium steel enhance vitality density and do away with flammable liquids usually used as electrolytes, changing them with a stable electrolyte, Gu defined.

“There are various forms of stable electrolytes with several types of stability,” Gu mentioned. “They’re not with out issues, and also you’re not getting only a rosy image.”

Regardless of its at present many unsolved issues, lithium steel batteries proceed to be thought to be “the following era anode materials due to its very excessive theoretical vitality density,” mentioned Renee Zhao, assistant professor of mechanical engineering.

In a separate presentation, Stanford researchers revealed developments in emergent fuels and vitality carriers, resembling algae-based biofuels and hydrogen.

“Electrification is unavoidable, decarbonization should be actual, and hydrogen, hydrogen, hydrogen,” mentioned Matteo Cargnello, affiliate professor of chemical engineering. “We’d like carbon-free hydrogen to make different fuels sooner or later. Nevertheless, aviation gas is more likely to stick round for a very long time.”

A possible answer for aviation is to switch fossil fuels with biofuels. Arthur Grossman, senior employees scientist on the Carnegie Establishment for Science, investigated the potential of utilizing algae cells to make biofuels, that are chemically similar to fossil fuels.

“You would get algae to make loads of oils that may be drop [sic] in fuels instantly utilized in autos,” Grossman mentioned. “Algae can truly make large quantities of oil. We acquired them to make as much as 85% oil by dry weight.”

The day’s occasions concluded with a panel presentation about carbon seize and sequestration. Throughout a dialogue concerning the permanence of nature-based options, the panelists agreed that the planet wants options which can be simple to implement as quickly as attainable.

“Nature-based options can be found proper now,” mentioned Connor Nolan. “It’s a bridge towards everlasting technological carbon elimination.” Nolan is a postdoctoral fellow on the Woods Institute for the Atmosphere within the Stanford Doerr College of Sustainability.

Regardless of a broad vary of vitality applied sciences mentioned on the occasion, the central objective of Power Options Week is to unravel the vitality transition drawback with pace and scale by inspiring collaboration and concepts, in accordance Cui.

“If we hold asking questions on scaling, it will activate our college and college students’ minds very early on,” Cui mentioned. “This I believe may have a long run, large affect.”