Boron as a storage medium for solar energy

The use of Boron as an energy storage medium in the framework of solar energy systems development is suggested, highlighting its potential advantages. The issue which is considered here is mainly that of reducing the energy waste connected with power transfer from areas of high solar energy productivity to highly industrialized areas, such as those of Europe, where the energy is needed. Both the production and transfer of Hydrogen or the build up of power lines give rise to an energy loss which can be up to 50% of the produced energy. A cycle is described in which Boron is used as a means to store and transport solar energy from a production site to the location where the energy stored in Boron will be used. This cycle would solve the long range transport and long term storage problem, which are two critical issues of a prospective solar energy economy. We describe how the use of Boron could indeed be a solution to the problem which is both energetically favorable and environmentally safe. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.