Mit Solar Steam: 85% Efficient

A new material structure developed at MIT generates steam by soaking up the sun.

The structure — a layer of graphite flakes and an underlying carbon foam,
. . . is a porous, insulating material structure that floats on water.
. . . When sunlight hits the structure’s surface, it creates a hotspot in the graphite,
. . . drawing water up through the material’s pores, where it evaporates as steam.

The brighter the light, the more steam is generated.
. . . It can produce steam at relatively low solar intensity, and
. . . not require complex, costly systems to highly concentrate sunlight.

Especially in remote areas where the sun is the only source of energy,
. . .  generating steam with solar energy, could be very useful.

07-21-2014 Source:  MIT Solar Steam: 85% Efficient