Steven C Meier

US Patent:

20110277747, Nov 17, 2011

Filed:

Jul 13, 2009

Appl. No.:

13/002645

Inventors:

K. Peter C. Vollhardt - Oakland CA, US
Rachel A. Segalman - Pleasanton CA, US
Arunava Majumdar - Orinda CA, US
Steven Meier - Edmond OK, US

Assignee:

THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA - Oakland CA

International Classification:

F24J 2/34
F24J 2/04
F24J 2/30
C09K 5/16

US Classification:

126619, 252 71, 126640, 126643

Abstract:

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.