Soapstone and granite from Craton in Tanzania’s Dodoma region and Usagaran in the Iringa geo-tectonic settings have been found to be ideal for thermal energy storage (TES), which involves storing solar heat for later use.

 

Unlike fossil fuels and other energy sources, solar energy storage has proven to be a difficult thing making solar batteries expensive.

The total cost varies based on the manufacturer, battery type, power capacity, installation fees and other factors, with the cost of popular solar batteries ranging from $9,500 to $23,000.

Energy is often stored in large batteries when not needed, but these can be expensive and require lots of resources to manufacture.

Thermal energy storage, which collects energy as heat in a solid such as a rock or liquid such as water or oil, presents as a lower-tech alternative.

Using rocks as a storage medium offers the potential of affordability due to the abundance and low cost of rocks. Some of the rocks that show high-energy storage potential include basalt, micro-gabbro/dolerite and granite.

Read: Future looks bright for geothermal power in East AfricaLow-tech raw materialsResearchers from Tanzania found that using a new approach known as concentrated solar power, heat from the sun can be stored in rocks to create electricity. The rocks are specifically, soapstone and granite, due to their special thermo-properties.“We found that certain soapstone and granite samples from Tanzania are well suited for storing this solar heat, featuring high energy densities and stability even at high temperatures,” they said. “When released, the heat can power a generator to produce electricity.”They say because of this, they think the next generation of sustainable energy technology might be built from some low-tech materials — rocks and the sun.

The scientists are investigating further the properties of soapstone and granite found in each of the Craton and Usagaran geological belts.

The team say the granite samples contained a large amount of silicon oxides, which added strength.

This study explores the potential of the rocks and influence of the sites’ geo-tectonic setting to soapstone and granite rocks as thermal energy storage materials.

From preliminary studies, the rock with the most desired properties for thermal energy storage was soapstone from the Craton setting. Magnesite was found in the soapstone, which conferred a high density and thermal capacity.

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