New Delhi, Feb 2 Indian scientists at the Department of Science and Technology (DST) have developed a solar-powered energy storage device that can both capture and store energy in a single unit, marking a major step towards clean, self‑sustaining storage systems, an official statement said.
Unlike conventional solar systems that require separate units for energy harvesting and storage, the new technology can do both functions, reducing cost and energy losses during conversion, it said.
The statement from the Ministry of Science and Technology said the device known as photo-rechargeable supercapacitor was developed by researchers at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences, Bengaluru under DST.
The new technology paves way for efficient, low cost, and eco-friendly power solutions for portable, wearable, and off grid technologies, it said.
Conventional hybrid systems relied on additional power management electronics to regulate voltage and current mismatches between the energy harvester and the storage unit.
The resultant system complexity and device footprint was detrimental for miniaturised and autonomous devices, the statement said.
The innovation used the help of binder-free use of nickel-cobalt oxide (NiCo2O4) nanowires, which have been uniformly grown on nickel foam using a simple in situ hydrothermal process.
“These nanowires, only a few nanometres in diameter and several micrometres long, form a highly porous and conductive 3D network that efficiently absorbs sunlight and stores electrical charge. This unique architecture allowed the material to act simultaneously as a solar energy harvester and a supercapacitor electrode,” the statement detailed.
When tested for real-world applications, the device delivered a stable output voltage of 1.2 volts, maintained 88 per cent of its capacitance retention even after 1,000 photo-charging cycles.
Further, it operated efficiently under varying sunlight conditions-from low indoor illumination to intense sunlight. This stability indicates that the nanowire structure can endure both mechanical and electrochemical stress over extended periods of use, the statement noted.
The self-charging power system can function anywhere even in remote regions without access to an electrical grid and can substantially reduce dependence on fossil fuels and conventional batteries.
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