Photothermal materials for efficient solar thermal production of heat, electricity, and fuels

用于高效太阳能热生产热、电和燃料的光热材料

• 批准号: RGPIN-2019-06801
• 负责人: Cooper, Thomas
• 金额: $ 1.97万
• 依托单位: York University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=760151
• 关键词: Photothermal; materials; efficient; solar; thermal

The time has come to switch to an energy infrastructure based on renewables. Sunlight constitutes a vast yet largely untapped resource of clean, renewable, and accessible energy. This research program will address this need by developing ultra-light inflatable solar energy systems which aim to increase the efficiency and significantly reduce to cost of solar energy collection, and to expand the ways that sunlight can be transformed into useful forms. Nature of the work to be done. In contrast to traditional solar panels, which convert sunlight directly to electricity, this research program will investigate an alternative pathway where sunlight is first converted into heat, which can be stored and subsequently converted into other useful forms including electricity and fuels. Specifically this program will develop Ultra-Light Inflatable Solar Energy Systems (ULISES) which aim to do away with expensive glass and steel construction utilized by traditional solar energy collectors. In ULISES, incident sunlight is collected by an inflated mirror which focuses it onto a receiver where it is efficiently converted into heat. The work will range from fundamental investigation of the optical and thermal properties of polymer materials, to optical, thermal, and mechanical design of the engineered system as a whole. Why and to whom this research is of important. This research program aims to significantly reduce the cost of solar energy by rethinking the entire structure of solar energy collectors. The resulting systems will be capable of powering a wide range of energy intensive applications including space heating, water desalination and purification, and industrial processes. This research program will lead to fundamental improvements in optical and thermal properties of polymers which will cross-pollinate into other research fields. Anticipated outcomes. This research program will: (1) pave the way for low-cost solar energy technology; (2) push polymer materials to the limit in terms of optical and thermal properties and provide new fabrication and characterization techniques; (3) provide engineered lab-scale prototypes of ULISES to attract interest from the Canadian energy and cleantech industries; and (4) provide training for 18 highly qualified personnel (HQP) in the fields of energy, nanomaterials, heat transfer, and mechanical design. Potential benefits to the research field and to Canada. Although we do not typically consider Canada to have a sunny climate, Canada actually boasts the second highest available solar energy per capita, second only to Australia. The challenge is that this energy is distributed over large areas, emphasizing the importance of reducing the cost per square meter of any solar energy collector, which is exactly what the technology developed in this research program will address. This research program is in line with Canada's Innovation and Skills Plan, which lists Clean Technology as one of its key areas.

现在是转向基于可再生能源的能源基础设施的时候了。阳光是一种巨大但尚未开发的清洁、可再生且易于获取的能源。该研究计划将通过开发超轻充气太阳能系统来满足这一需求，该系统旨在提高效率并显着降低太阳能收集成本，并扩大将阳光转化为有用形式的方式。 待完成工作的性质。与将阳光直接转化为电能的传统太阳能电池板相比，该研究项目将研究另一种途径，即阳光首先转化为热量，热量可以被储存起来，随后转化为其他有用的形式，包括电力和燃料。具体来说，该计划将开发超轻充气太阳能系统（ULISES），旨在消除传统太阳能收集器使用的昂贵的玻璃和钢结构。在 ULISES 中，入射阳光由膨胀镜收集，将其聚焦到接收器上，并在接收器中有效地转化为热量。工作范围从聚合物材料的光学和热性能的基础研究，到整个工程系统的光学、热和机械设计。 为什么这项研究很重要以及对谁来说很重要。该研究计划旨在通过重新思考太阳能收集器的整个结构来显着降低太阳能成本。由此产生的系统将能够为各种能源密集型应用提供动力，包括空间供暖、海水淡化和净化以及工业过程。该研究计划将从根本上改善聚合物的光学和热性能，这将交叉传播到其他研究领域。 预期结果。该研究计划将：（1）为低成本太阳能技术铺平道路； （2）将聚合物材料的光学和热性能推向极限，并提供新的制造和表征技术； (3) 提供 ULISES 的工程实验室规模原型，以吸引加拿大能源和清洁技术行业的兴趣； （4）培养18名能源、纳米材料、传热、机械设计等领域高素质人才。 对研究领域和加拿大的潜在好处。尽管我们通常不认为加拿大拥有阳光明媚的气候，但加拿大实际上拥有人均可用太阳能量第二高的国家，仅次于澳大利亚。挑战在于，这种能量分布在大面积区域，这就强调了降低太阳能收集器每平方米成本的重要性，而这正是本研究计划中开发的技术将要解决的问题。该研究计划符合加拿大的创新和技能计划，该计划将清洁技术列为其关键领域之一。