A hydrocarbon molecule as supplier and energy storage solution for solar energy

Until now, the generation and storage of electricity from solar energy has been dependent on various devices, leading to conversion losses. That may change soon, as chemists at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and other research institutes in Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, Italy, Sweden and the U.S. are conducting research into a hydrocarbon molecule that can either convert sunlight into electricity or save the energy for a long time in a chemical form.