China makes progress in power generation, storage on Mars

CGTN – Chinese scientists have made progress in power generation and storage on Mars in terms of how to effectively use resources there to ensure the energy supply for conducting long-term research and stationing researchers on the planet in the future.

Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) have proposed a new idea of using the Martian atmosphere as a medium for power generation.

“The medium serves as an energy converter in a power generation system. Simply speaking, we can compare it to the ‘blood’ of the system. The air on Mars has good performance in heat-to-electricity conversion. It has a large molecular weight and a high specific heat capacity, which means that it is excellent in heat-to-electricity conversion,” said Shi Lingfeng, a researcher at the USTC.

Compared with using rare gases helium and xenon as the medium, studies by the USTC researchers have shown that if the Martian atmosphere, over 95 percent of which is carbon dioxide, serves as the medium, the power generation efficiency can be increased by 20 percent and the maximum power density by 14 percent. The more accessible medium makes it possible to generate power for Mars exploration in accordance with local conditions.

“Using the Martian atmosphere means using resources there. Therefore, this is a very good technological solution for the building of a sustainable Mars research station in the future,” said Shi.

The researchers have also studied how to use the Martian atmosphere to store electrical energy, putting forward the innovative concept of the “Mars battery.”

The Mars battery uses active substances in the Martian atmosphere as reactive fuel to generate electricity and provide energy for Mars probes and bases. It can combine electrical energy, light energy, and thermal energy and store the energies in its battery system.

“The Mars air battery actually has the same operating principle of the lithium-air battery and the lithium-carbon dioxide battery. It absorbs components from the Martian atmosphere into itself and uses them as the main active gases to release electrical energy, which can be used by Mars rovers or Mars helicopters,” said Xiao Xu, another researcher.

The researchers conducted tests on the performance of the battery under conditions simulating the atmosphere and the temperature difference between day and night on Mars. The results show that the battery can still power electronic devices steadily even in a low temperature of zero degrees Celsius.

Using the Martian atmosphere as the medium not only significantly reduces the overall weight of the battery system but also enables in-situ energy acquisition and self-sufficiency, providing a new energy storage solution for Mars development and research. This is of great significance for enhancing China’s self-reliance and sustainability in missions on Mars.

China has been accelerating its Mars exploration in recent years, with the Tianwen-3 probe expected to be launched around 2028 and bring Mars samples back to Earth around 2031.