Scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara have unveiled a breakthrough liquid capable of storing solar energy for months at a time, offering a new path toward sustainable energy storage. 

The innovation, known as a molecular solar-thermal (MOST) system, uses specially engineered pyrimidone molecules that absorb sunlight and shift into a high-energy state. When triggered, they release that stored energy as to their original form, making the process fully reversible and recyclable.

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Unlike conventional batteries, which store electricity and suffer efficiency losses during charging and discharging, this liquid stores energy directly as heat. 

In laboratory tests, it was able to release enough energy to boil water under ambient conditions. The energy density is measured at 1.6 MJ per kilogram—nearly double that of lithium-ion batteries. 

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Even more impressive, the liquid remains stable for over 480 days at room temperature, far surpassing the storage capabilities of existing systems.

Because the solution is liquid-based, it can be pumped, transported, and stored using standard infrastructure, making it highly scalable. 

Potential applications include household heating, hot water systems, seasonal energy storage, and even integration with thermoelectric generators to produce electricity. 

Published in Science, the research represents a significant step toward practical solar energy storage that could reshape how renewable energy is captured and used.


Sources:  - New Atlas
- Science Journal – Research publication by UCSB team