Solar energy is great ... as long as you have the Sun shining in the skies.
For many countries in the northern hemisphere, long and dark winters limit the practical amount of solar energy that can be generated each year. That's why it makes sense to "store" sunlight energy during the summer months so it can be used during the winter months. But how can this be done?
This is where Underground Sun Conversion comes in. As the name implies, the system use sunlight to produce natural gas deep under the Earth's surface.
Developed by energy company RAG Austria, surplus electricity generated by solar panels are used in an electrolysis process to split water into hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Then, hydrogen and carbon dioxide are injected into the porous sandstone deposit (such as those found in a depleted natural gas reservoir).
The injected gases are then converted by archaea, naturally occurring microorganisms that live thousands of feet underground, in a carbon cycle into methane gas and water.
The methane, in turn, is pumped back up during the winter months as natural gas that can be used to produce electricity.
#electricity #solarenergy #methane #hydrogen #electrolysis #archaea #naturalgas #carboncycle
Image: Karin Lohberger/RAG Austria