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

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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.