Sunlight, one of the planet’s most abundant sources of renewable energy, could be used to power lasers, according to a study from Heriot-Watt University.
A sunlight-powered laser could be used instead of fossil fuels to kickstart chemical processes for the energy-intensive production of fertiliser, the scientists say.
Conventional lasers are powered by electrical energy from a battery or the grid. Even if renewable generation electricity is used, this requires additional infrastructure and energy is invariably lost along the way.
Dr Erik Gauger from Heriot-Watt’s Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences has outlined how a new sunlight-powered laser could work in a study published in the New Journal of Physics. He worked with a team of international colleagues and they took inspiration for the new system from nature.
Gauger said: “Sunlight is abundant, but because it is dilute and variable, it is difficult to collect, store and harness.
“Nature has already found a way to do this through photosynthesis, when plants turn sunlight, water and carbon into food and energy.
“We’ve designed a bio-inspired blueprint for a new laser system that can upgrade natural sunlight into a coherent laser beam.”
Other scientists have already started working on solar-powered lasers, but those demonstrated so far need elaborate systems and high levels of refrigeration.
Gauger and his colleagues from Italy and Mexico turned to purple bacteria, a group of photosynthetic organisms found in ponds and lakes for inspiration for their new system.
“Purple bacteria have ring-like antennae which have a reaction centre in their middle that allows them to convert sunlight to chemical energy.
“If we can find a way to strip out the reaction centres and replace them with a much simpler structure, we could use a bunch of those modified photosynthetic structures to convert sunlight into a laser beam under ambient conditions.
“Specifically, our design would be self-contained and neither require an external power source, nor complicated large surrounding lenses. It would be lightweight and portable and entirely natural, organic components. It would constitute the ultimate source of green energy.
“We have all these ingredients available, we just need to find the best way to play molecular lego and assemble the structures.”
Gauger says the end result could be a solar-powered laser that would be low energy, but still useful for a range of applications.
“Solar-powered lasers could be used to generate green energy or to bring about chemical processes.
“This could tackle the carbon footprint of processes like the production of fertiliser, which is currently responsible for 1-2% of global energy consumption.
“This is hugely exciting. We could use one of our most abundant resources to help reach net zero.”
Read the full paper here: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1367-2630/ac2852
Original Article: Sunlight could be used to power lasers
More from: Heriot-Watt University
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Sunlight powered lasers
- News tagged with solar lasers
Researchers report new results from the NASA Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) technology demonstration project, which develops and tests new advanced laser sources for deep-space optical ...
- Lasers used to guide lightning strikes to a safe target
This explains why a team of researchers ended up in the Swiss Alps, setting up a high-powered laser near the base of the Säntis large telecommunications tower, which usually gets hit by lightning ...
- High-powered lasers can be used to steer lightning strikes
European researchers have successfully tested a system that uses terawatt-level laser pulses to steer lighting toward a 26-foot rod. It's not limited by its physical height, and can cover much ...
- High-powered lasers can be used to steer lightning strikes
The technology may finally be here to replace them in some situations. European researchers have successfully tested a system that uses terawatt-level laser pulses to steer lighting toward a 26-foot ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Sunlight powered lasers
[google_news title=”” keyword=”sunlight powered lasers” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Solar-powered lasers
- Controllable 'defects' improve performance of lithium-ion batteries
Some defects can be good. A new study shows that laser-induced defects in lithium-ion battery materials improve the performance of the battery.
- Nutrientes del suelo: qué son y para qué sirven
En geología, los nutrientes son sustancias químicas disueltas en la humedad del suelo, necesarias para el crecimiento y desarrollo normal de las plantas. Los nutrientes vitales son 13 elementos ...
- Microstructure and defect engineering improves performance of lithium-ion batteries
A new North Carolina State University study, performed in collaboration with battery testing researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, shows that extremely short ...
- El veto europeo al diésel ruso: el último embudo de la crisis energética
El escritor checo centró en 1983 un ensayo en los sueños imperiales de Rusia, el deseo de apoderarse de cuantos más pueblos mejor ...
- Los botines de suela track accesibles en tendencia para 2023
Hemos visto cómo las plataformas, de tacón kitten y estilo calcetín, han ganado terreno dentro de las piezas en tendencia, sin embargo, los de suela track continúan liderando la lista ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Solar-powered lasers
[google_news title=”” keyword=”solar-powered lasers” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
