Concrete, It's Electric!

摘要

Concrete is transforming from an inert substance into a material with energy-generation and storage capabilities, thanks to a collection of recent technologies. For example, researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a self-supporting structure (shown) for the ETH NEST HiLo project, a research facility focused on lightweight and adaptive construction. The structure offers thermal regulation, insulation, waterproofing, and power generation supplied via an ultrathin concrete shell with a thickness ranging between i and 2 inches along the edges, topped with strips of thin film photovoltaics.