Loading patent…
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of California
InventorsK. Peter C. Vollhardt, Rachel A. Segalman, Arunava Majumdar, Steven Meier
Estimating the term…
A system for converting solar energy to chemical energy, and, subsequently, to thermal energy includes a light-harvesting station, a storage station, and a thermal energy release station. The system may include additional stations for converting the released thermal energy to other energy forms, e.g., to electrical energy and mechanical work. At the light-harvesting station, a photochemically active first organometallic compound, e.g., a fulvalenyl diruthenium complex, is exposed to light and is photochemically converted to a second, higher-energy organometallic compound, which is then transported to a storage station. At the storage station, the high-energy organometallic compound is stored for a desired time and/or is transported to a desired location for thermal energy release. At the thermal energy release station, the high-energy organometallic compound is catalytically converted back to the photochemically active organometallic compound by an exothermic process, while the released thermal energy is captured for subsequent use.
A system for converting light energy to thermal, mechanical or electrical energy, the system comprising:
3-4. (canceled)
(canceled)
(canceled)
A thermal energy release station for use in a solar energy conversion system, the station comprising:
(canceled)
A composition comprising:
A method for converting light energy to other forms of energy, the method comprising:
35-37. (canceled)
44-45. (canceled)
A method for converting light energy to other forms of energy, the method comprising:
(canceled)
(canceled)
A system for converting light energy to thermal, mechanical or electrical energy, the system comprising:
60-63. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.