SAY “AU REVOIR” TO EXPENSIVE ELECTROCHEMICAL BATTERIES AND HELLO TO PV PLUS THERMAL ONES

One of the biggest problems facing renewable energy projects whether for individuals or governments is the cost of storing energy to deliver it back when the sun sets, or when the winds stop blowing. The importance of variable renewable energy resources is critical to the decarbonization of electrical power systems and as such key to sustainability goals, but long-term storage is needed to allow for the optimal utilization and expansion of renewable energy grids.

A new research entitled “Power availability of PV (PhotoVoltaic) plus thermal batteries in real-world electric power grids” co-lead by Khalifa University Professor Dr. Matteo Chiesa (corresponding author) has come up with a prototype PV plus Thermal Battery that can solve this issue more economically than other thermal storage products available today.

Dr. Matteo Chiesa, a Professor at the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, at Khalifa University, has been working during the course of his career to solve real-life industrial problems, in the energy sector spanning from the oil and gas business to renewable energy.

His research at the Laboratory for Energy and Nano Science

LENS focused on the creation and the establishment of technologies necessary to adapt the current energy system into a more sustainable, competitive, and secure one.

During his post-doctoral fellowship at MIT, he investigated thermal transport over length scales from nanometers upward in solids and liquids. It was there where he met