Solar Energy
In order to convert solar energy efficiently, a variety of approaches are being developed. The one chosen by Gruen was a heat pump driven by solar energy inputs. A novel concept was elaborated, which utilized a pair of metal alloy hydrides whose hydrogen dissociation temperatures could be adjusted by varying the alloy composition. This, as all of Gruen's work, was motivated by a desire to achieve fundamental understanding, in this case of the science underlying the heats of formation of alloy hydrides. The specific problem to which the basic knowledge was applied, namely the actual operation of a hydride heat pump demonstrated that solar inputs at modest temperature can be used for space heating and air conditioning. The synthesis of the metal alloy hydrides provided an early example of a field that has come to be known as "materials by design."
Read more about this topic: Dieter Gruen
Famous quotes containing the words solar and/or energy:
“Lincoln becomes the American solar myth, the chief butt of American credulity and sentimentality.”
—H.L. (Henry Lewis)
“While the State becomes inflated and hypertrophied in order to obtain a firm enough grip upon individuals, but without succeeding, the latter, without mutual relationships, tumble over one another like so many liquid molecules, encountering no central energy to retain, fix and organize them.”
—Emile Durkheim (1858–1917)