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fuels. However, a 2018 Deloitte study makes it working, and its efficiency decreases by about
unequivocally clear that the costs of producing one percent per degree. In other words, heat
energy from sources such as wind and sun adversely affects the operation of solar panels,”
have already reached parity with the costs of he explains. The heat released as a byproduct of
fossil fuel-based energy. Even in countries electricity generation accounts for 50%-80% of
that do not subsidize renewable energy, wind the total energy received. This energy is usually
and solar energy do not cost more than energy released into the environment, but Rotschild has
from conventional sources. In fact, a Lazard found an efficient way to use it. “We are using
analysis published in 2017 determined that wind optically active (photoluminescent) materials,
energy produced in coastal areas has become which absorb energetic photons and release
the cheapest energy source in the world. Solar photons that carry less energy, but still enough
energy is enjoying similar success and is currently to produce electricity when they hit a solar panel.
the second cheapest energy source. In the six This means that the solar panel operates normally,
countries that have adopted renewables (China, providing 20%-30% efficiency. But there is one
Germany, the U.S., Italy, India, and the U.K.) difference—it hardly heats up at all. The heat,
the price of solar energy is already competing remaining in the photoluminescent material at a
successfully with that of fossil fuel-based energy.
It is no wonder that solar power plants are
spreading all over the world.
And we have yet to exhaust the full potential of
solar energy.
Improvement Is on the Way temperature of 500°C, is transferred into storage The lab team,
and later to a turbine operating at approximately right to left: Matej
Concerns about the future have led Prof. Rotschild 40% efficiency." Kurtulik, Shimry
to do everything in his power to make it better. Combining a turbine and a solar panel, Rotschild Haviv, Carmel
And a central means to achieve this goal is to believes, will make it possible to improve our Rotschild, Nimrod
develop more efficient methods of producing Kruger, and
solar energy, with the hope that these methods Michael Shustov
would be widely adopted around the world. The
U.S. Department of Energy has already set an Photography: Nitzan
ambitious goal for 2030: To produce solar energy
at the cost of 3 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Zohar
“If tomorrow the technology that can produce
solar energy for 3 cents per kWh, day and night ability to harvest solar energy and reach an
(baseload solution), is found, the Department
of Energy will be able to launch a process that efficiency rate of 40%, that is, over one-third of
will culminate in solar energy providing half of
the energy consumed in the U.S. by 2050,” says the energy locked in sunlight will be harvested.
Rotschild, adding, “We claim that we have this
technology that could lead to the price drop.” Photosynthesis in nature reaches an efficiency
Rotschild and his team are currently building the
prototype of a new solar energy harvesting device, rate of only 11%, while most commercial solar
which will be field-tested next year in Sde Boker.
“A solar panel naturally heats up when it is panels available today have a maximum efficiency
of 20%.
“The first device we built could generate 2 kWh
using the panel for every 1 kWh generated by the
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering | MEgazine | 13
