Condensed Matter Seminar – Harvesting Energy from the Cold Universe: The Missing Piece in the Renewables Puzzle
Prof. Ioannis Papakonstantinou
- Start Thursday 17 Oct 2024 2:30pm
- Finish Thursday 17 Oct 2024 3:30pm
- Venue Simpkins Lee Seminar Room
- Postcode OX1 3PU
On a bright, warm day, the more than 1TW of installed solar power capacity Worldwide works tirelessly to light up our houses, charge our cars, power our business and in general, to seamlessly support our daily lives. This remarkable achievement has been made possible by over 40 years of advancements in photovoltaics, which convert the incoming Solar radiation into useful energy. However, for the Earth to maintain a stable temperature, it must dissipate heat at a rate roughly equal to the power it receives from the Sun. This natural thermoregulation process, known as radiative cooling, taps into the infinite heat capacity of the ultracold Universe to release excess heat from Earth’s surface into the outer space.
Recently, scientists have recognised that this vast, outgoing heat transfer could be harnessed, offering a new renewable pathway toward sustainable energy transition.
Although still in its early stages, with only suboptimal proof-of-concept demonstrations, harvesting energy from the cold Universe is an exciting area of research ripe for disruption. In my talk I will cover the fundamentals of radiative cooling, discuss latest advances in the field by my group and will conclude with future trends and applications.
Registration not necessary.