A team of engineers from the University of California, San Diego has developed a new nano-particle based material for concentrating solar power (CSP) plants that can absorb over 90 percent of sunlight it catches and convert it into heat.

The new material features a "multiscale" surface developed by combining particles of various sizes ranging from 10 nanometers to 10 micrometers. The material's high efficiency when used at higher temperatures can be attributed to the nanostructures that catch and absorb the light.

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Sunlight captured is used to heat molten salt. The liquid salt can also be stored in thermal storage tanks overnight to maintain the production of steam and electricity, 24 hours a day if needed.

The whole-day production of CSP plants is a big advantage over photovoltaic solar plants that only produce energy when the sun is out.

The new material can also survive outdoors for a number of years despite exposure to humidity and air. It can withstand temperatures above 700 degrees Celsius.

In contrast, existing solar absorber materials require an overhaul almost every year because of excessively high temperatures.

"We wanted to create a material that absorbs sunlight that doesn't let any of it escape. We want the black hole of sunlight," said Sungho Jin, a professor in the department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering.

Jin, along with Mechanical Engineering professor Renkun Chen and professor Zhaowei Liu of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, developed the silicon boride-coated nanoshell material.

CSP is a rising green energy alternative that generates about 3.5 gigawatts worth of power, enough to power over 2 million households, at power plants around the world. The construction of additional plants will provide as much as 20 gigawatts of power in the future.

Power plants that use either fossil fuels or coal can be converted to use CSP technology as it utilizes the same process to create power from steam.

Long-established power plants burn fossil fuels or coal to produce heat that converts water into steam. A giant turbine is then turned by the steam, generating electricity from conductor coils and spinning magnets. While turbines are still used in CSP power plants, the steam is formed in a different way.

TagsNanoparticles, nanotechnology, Concentrating solar power plant, Concentrating solar power, Concentrating solar power technology, solar power, renewable energy, Green energy