🇺🇸 영어 원문
California’s strong sun inspired Grace Han’s energy storage research. The sun does shine, sometimes, in Boston – but not like this. When chemistry professor Grace Han first visited southern California from Boston some years ago, she noticed the difference. Her skin would tingle with the first signs of irritation after just a few hours outside. Last year, she moved to take a job at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and regularly began wearing a large-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and plenty of sun cream. Being a chemistry professor, she had already done her research.
“I was just reading about DNA photochemistry – for leisure,” she recalls. That is when she realized that DNA molecules in people’s skin that get damaged by sunburn could help her. Those molecules change shape when irradiated by the sun, flexing into a strained version of their regular form. For decades, scientists have sought out molecules that can twist their shape, storing energy in the process, and then be prompted to revert to their original shape, releasing the stored energy on demand. A bit like setting and later triggering a mousetrap. It is known as molecular solar thermal (Most) energy storage and is a potentially very cheap and emissions-free way of supplying heat. These Most systems could store energy for many months or even years.
Researchers have previously had limited success with the technology, but, thanks to the California sun, Han knew what to try next. It is important to activate the shape-shifting of the energy-storing molecules in a smooth, repeatable way. Luckily, millions of years of evolution has perfected this process when it occurs in certain plants and animals. Living things are all chemistry labs, in a sense, and some organisms have evolved so that they can repair sun-contorted molecules with the help of an enzyme called photolyase. Han realized that such molecules were therefore perfect candidates for an energy storage system.
“They are very, very small,” she explains. “And can store a massive amount of energy per mass.” In a paper published in February, she and colleagues described the most promising energy storage system of this kind to date, at least in terms of its energy density. It was powerful enough to cause a very tiny ketone molecule to release heat when triggered by a specific light wavelength. This breakthrough suggests that we might soon be able to store solar energy not just as electricity in batteries, but as chemical bonds that remain stable for long periods. Unlike traditional lithium-ion batteries, which degrade over time and can be heavy, these molecular systems offer a lightweight, durable alternative. The implications for renewable energy are significant. If we can store solar heat efficiently, we can power homes during the night or during cloudy days without relying on fossil fuels. This research bridges the gap between biology and engineering, showing how nature’s solutions to survival can inspire human innovation. As climate change accelerates, finding sustainable ways to capture and store energy is more critical than ever. Professor Han’s work reminds us that sometimes, the answers to our biggest technological challenges can be found in the simplest observations of the natural world, like the feeling of sunburn on your skin.
🇰🇷 한국어 요약
이 글은 케임브리지 대학의 그레이스 한 교수가 햇볕에 타는 현상에서 영감을 받아 새로운 에너지 저장 기술을 개발한 이야기를 담고 있습니다. 햇빛을 쬐면 DNA 분자의 모양이 변하면서 에너지를 저장한다는 사실을 발견한 그녀는, 이 원리를 이용해 태양열을 화학 결합 형태로 오랫동안 저장하는 시스템을 만들었습니다. 이를 ‘분자 태양열 에너지 저장(MOST)’ 시스템이라고 부르는데, 기존 배터리보다 가볍고 오래 지속될 수 있는 장점이 있습니다. 자연계의 생물이 햇빛으로 손상된 분자를 복구하는 효소를 사용하는 방식을 모방한 이 기술은 미래의 친환경 에너지 솔루션으로 큰 기대를 받고 있습니다.
🔑 핵심 단어 (Vocabulary)
- Irritation – 자극, 화끈거림 – She noticed her skin would tingle with the first signs of irritation.
- Photochemistry – 광화학 – I was just reading about DNA photochemistry – for leisure.
- Molecules – 분자 – Those molecules change shape when irradiated by the sun.
- Emissions-free – 무배출 – It is a potentially very cheap and emissions-free way of supplying heat.
- Revert – 되돌아가다 – Be prompted to revert to their original shape.
- Enzyme – 효소 – Repair sun-contorted molecules with the help of an enzyme called photolyase.
- Density – 밀도 – At least in terms of its energy density.
- Sustainable – 지속 가능한 – Finding sustainable ways to capture and store energy is more critical than ever.