Engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a new approach in using solar energy: a bubble-wrapped, sponge-like device absorbs light through its pores that is converted into steam.
It’s like a solar sponge, but the researcher prefer to call it as a “solar vapor generator.” Instead of using mirrors or lenses to gather sunlight, it relies on the combination of low-tech materials to capture sunlight and collect it as heat, which is then directed towards the pores of the sponge releasing it as steam.
Source: MIT
The design was derived in a research that devised a similar sponge-like material, made of graphite and carbon foam, which boiled water and convert 85 percent of the incoming sunlight to steam. The only difference is that this new system uses a spectrally-selective absorber, which is a thin, blue, metallic-like film.
This material is responsible for absorbing radiation in the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which is usually on solar water heaters. It doesn’t radiate in infrared range, hence trapping heat and minimizing heat loss. But there is still heat loss through convection in this system alone; this is answered by introducing a layer of bubble wrap that will disable the heat to escape.
Solar energy supplier in China, Solar panel manufacturers in Hong Kong, Solar panel distributors in Philippines, Solar panel system integrator in Singapore, Solar panel dealers in Taiwan, Solar panel manufacturers in Japan, Solar panel distributors in South Korea, Solar panel system integrator in Thailand, Solar panel supplier in Germany, Solar energy supplier in Dubai, Solar system supplier in United Arab Emirates, Solar system distributors in Abu Dhabi, Solar system system integrator in Saudi Arabia, Solar PV supplier in United States of America, Solar energy manufacturers in Indonesia, Solar PV distributors in India, Solar rooftop supplier in Australia, Solar rooftop dealers in Malaysia, Solar cell suppliers in Vietnam, Solar energy manufacturers in Brunei
