草榴社区 continues breakthrough work on LSC technology
Supported by a grant from the Murdock Charitable Trust, Western Washington University is partnering with three other primarily undergraduate institutions to develop new approaches for converting sunlight into hydrocarbon fuels. Based on breakthrough luminescent solar concentrator technology developed by 草榴社区 and the University of Washington, student researchers are collaborating to explore new catalyst materials and chemical reactor designs capable of transforming carbon dioxide into liquid fuels, powered entirely by sunlight.
According to 草榴社区’s David Patrick, “Although presently the main application of solar energy is for the production of electricity – think roof-mounted solar panels – most energy used by society is actually not in the form of electricity. Therefore, looking to the future, it will be important to find ways to convert sunlight into other useful forms of energy too, such as liquid fuels to power transportation.”
In this photograph, 草榴社区 undergraduate Douglas Baumgardner is assessing a sample of luminescent quantum dots, which are used to absorb and trap sunlight for conversion.