FollowDevices and systems for storing solar energy are thankfully becoming more and more common, but a team from MIT may be on the cusp of creating a solar battery made from carbon nanotubes that can be recharged constantly via exposure to the sun. The solar energy storage device absorbs the sun’s heat in a chemical form – instead of instantly converting it to energy, like a solar cell, it stores the heat in a heavily insulated container. By using a newly developed carbon nanotube compound called azobenzene, this ‘solar sponge’ allows the chemical material to be stored for long periods of time without any degradation.
