MIT Scientist Offers ‘Solar Revolution’
Aug 1 at 5:05pm by Aileen
‘Safe, Clean, Too Cheap to Meter’ finally means something!
photo: Donna Coveney
MIT and Science [July 31] announce that Scientists mimic essence of plant’s energy storage system in a breakthrough that promises to make rooftop solar power a reliable mainstream energy source, even for when the sun isn’t shining.
Nocera and postdoctoral fellow Matthew Kanan have developed a process of artificial photosynthesis that will use solar energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, and using the gases to power a fuel cell that will provide electricity at night and on cloudy days. A leader in the study of photosynthesis James Barber said of the work, “The importance of their discovery cannot be overstated since it opens up the door for developing new technologies for energy production, thus reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and addressing the global climate change problem.”
The inexpensive catalyst Nocera and Kanan developed can split the molecules in a glass of water at room temperature, a process that until now has been expensive because suitable catalysts were too expensive or made of rare materials. The discovery is an outgrowth of research into artificial photosynthesis (the process plants use to split water for energy) by many chemical research groups.
“This discovery is simply groundbreaking,” said Karsten Meyer, professor of chemistry at a German university. In the development of solar energy, Meyer said, “this is probably the most important single discovery of the century.”
Nocera predicts the technology can be developed quickly and readily available within ten years to address the world’s energy needs. Technical details of the discovery and process are sketched out in the MIT release, and examined in more depth in Technology Review in their article Solar-Power Breakthrough.
14 Responses for "MIT Scientist Offers ‘Solar Revolution’"
Uncle B
August 4th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
1Solar and its strong cousin, wind will answer mankind’s energy concerns for the near future! If the U.S. had chosen to be a moral people, and leaving Iraqi oil alone, and following Al Gore, decided to develop the South Western deserts, with the technology of the times - solar/thermal-molten sodium - electricity installations, for the same amount of money as that war cost, ($650 Billion), today, we would be tapping into the largest, renewable, sustainable, energy source the world has ever known. It would have paid every energy bill in the U.S.A. for maintenance fees only - FOREVER! It would be equivalent to an oil field that can NEVER run dry! Low cost electric power, and storeable hydrogen gasoline replacement by this method, from the electricity, for all! But: the oil companies wouldn’t like that!
After the millions of murders, and $650 billions of dollars, borrowed from our children’s futures and pissed away, with thousands of our own and others maimed and disfigured for life, millions of families utterly destroyed, ours and theirs, we are no closer to Iraqi oil production than the Iraqis are!
The next time you hear a blithering idiot spoiled brat, drunken, drug addicted, sociopath, rich Arabic saber dancing daddie’s boy oilman, stand at a microphone and threaten YOUR safety with someone ELSE’S weapons, remember what you lost America, remember, and weep! Obama says he has a change in mind - watch him closely!(also see http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=a-solar-grand-plan)
Brice
August 4th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
2It’s been said before: Modern science will save us all.
Now, for the love of all that is good and pure, do NOT sell this to the oil companies.
Aileen
August 4th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
3Uncle B:
“The next time you hear a blithering idiot spoiled brat, drunken, drug addicted, sociopath, rich Arabic saber dancing daddie’s boy oilman, stand at a microphone and threaten YOUR safety with someone ELSE’S weapons, remember what you lost America, remember, and weep!”
ROTFLOL!!!!!!! Oh, my [she says while wiping her eyes], it’s all I can do to keep from puking whenever that frat boy opens his dumb mouth! Much less guess what the heck he’s trying to say! It is certainly time for change, and change that includes someone able to string more than two words together without sounding like he flunked kindergarten would surely be nice… §;o)
Aileen
August 4th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
4Brice, all I can say to your last sentence is “Amen!”
Just think… ten years down the road - which is much quicker than we’d ever see real results from increased offshore drilling, Iraq/Iran oil fields (after we’ve turned them to glass) or even the bare beginnings of a completely unnecessary next generation of nukes, our homes could be off-grid! Surely residential and industrial usage is a considerable chunk of overall energy consumption, and if we all just installed the means, that part of our antiquated, 33%+ loss grid would be unnecessary altogether.
Yes, it’ll cost us something. Somebody’s going to make a personal fortune out of it, that’s a given. But I’d rather it be someone - like, say, Nocera and Kanan - who are willing to develop and put it out there for real deployment. As opposed to burying it most unceremoniously in an unmarked grave, which happens way too often whenever the Big Boyz buy up the patents.
Heck, we might even manage to fund some incentive and rebate programs for homeowners who have just one home (instead of 8 castles here and there) to refit with this technology. New fuel cell advancements are coming down the line quickly too, and that’s the primary weak point in off-grid projects. Let’s all hope, not let things like this disappear as if they’d never happened at all!
Biofuels: Something Even Better Than Corn or Switchgrass by Science News Review
August 4th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
5[…] in global warming, general civilizational peace and prosperity, etc. If we were to plan ways to power our homes, churches, community buildings and businesses while at the same time developing biofuels for transportation and shipping, we might find the world […]
mark
August 5th, 2008 at 12:29 am
6It is essential for the current business model that energy production be centralized. If it can’t be metered, then it can’t be centralized.
So, “too cheap to meter” automatically condemns it. The only reason we are even hearing about this is because of the internet. And after the powers enact Net Neutrality legislation, there goes that means of communication.
Sorry, if you can’t centralize it to concentrate profits into the hands of the few, it just won’t see the light of day. This is America after all.
blizard
August 5th, 2008 at 9:20 am
7thank you kind sir for your work
Aileen
August 5th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
8Hi, Mark. I wouldn’t worry too much about how to make a fortune with this new technology. I’m pretty sure someone will manage to profit, if we can keep it out of the oil/energy companies’ basement vaults long enough to deploy. There’s a fortune to be made from the solar panels or wind generators or water turbines that produce the ‘trons, then there’s the actual artificial photosynthesis-in-a-jar contraption that separates the hydrogen and oxygen, and then of course there’s the incredibly frustrating (and expensive) matter of the fuel cells themselves. Which require maintenance and regular replacement.
There’s money to be had from the government for R&D, for deployment and installation, etc. Then there’s upkeep and replacement parts that’ll keep manufacturing facilities in business forever.
I realize they’ve tried really hard to prevent people from doing for themselves, but that business model isn’t really going to work if we’re serious about breaking our fossil fuels habit. Homes, communities, municipalities and businesses are going off-grid right now when they can (and have a mind and will to do so). Our grid is so antiquated right now it’s a single overload away from total failure, and that’s a very dangerous place to be national security (and public safety) speaking. We aren’t going to put the necessary money and work into rebuilding it, so there’s no sense corporate planning things that rely on it.
We have to be smart going into the future. We have the will, we have the genius, we have the desire to make it happen. If we don’t, we might as well hang it up right now - we’re terminally screwed!
Aileen
August 5th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
9Hi, blizard. I’m not exactly a ’sir’, but I appreciate your compliment very much. Best of luck to all of us for the future!
Pessimist (realist?)
August 5th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
10i’d like to see this happen. i saw a different article on how they achieved this, basically like a potato or lemon clock, if it’s this easy it should be taught in schools and made common.
people aren’t smart or concerned enough to push for this change. for example, i commute 30 miles to work (web, art, marketing, IT) and almost everything i do can be done anywhere in the world with a laptop, but i can’t work from home because my boss says ‘other employees may get jealous’ and ‘i don’t want the office to look empty’ meanwhile he’s on vacation, and my internet at home is 10x faster. by not commuting i save 5 gallons of gas a day, wear & tear on my car and i can work an extra 2 hours instead of driving in traffic, but none of that makes any sense when the office looks empty. stupid, stupid people.
SolReka
August 7th, 2008 at 1:07 am
11I think people are missing the bigger picture here.
Such technologies won’t see the light of day any time soon. For two simple reasons: -
1) Free energy (ZPE, Joe Cell, Stan Meyo, solar power, etc) are all viable technologies. How many have come to fruition? - none, they get bought out by the oil barons, or the inventor is simply eradicated.
As Edison said to Tesla when he invented free wireless electricity - this free energy device is all fair and well, but where do we place the meter?
It is all about money, greed, and oppression by the few who control the many. This leads me to point 2.
2) Politics - are we, as a race really ready for free/alternate energy devices? Perhaps society would collapse, millions become jobless, anarchy ensues?
Either way, it is time the people, not the Governments, to take back what is rightly ours - Our FREEDOM.
Regards
SolReka
Brighter Energy Solutions
Aileen
August 9th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
12Pessimist (realist), the standard American business model is going to have to change. Gas is coming down a bit right now, but $3.50 isn’t really a great price either, and Europe already pays $6-10 a gallon which is actually more reasonable if we’re already at or past “Peak Oil.” Speculators haven’t helped, of course, and biofuels that don’t cut into our food supply are still a ways off. Even switchgrass or other grass hay cuts into winter feed fodder for livestock. Of course, better meat than vegetables, given that Americans are so obese and getting fatter.
Working from home can be difficult, more for the workers than the boss in arranging the home life so actual work is being done instead of dishes, laundry, etc. But it IS doable. Makes the worker’s paycheck go farther without having to give a raise, lets the business maintain less office expense (considerable), etc. And once we have universal health care, American business won’t be in the unenviable position of having to carry the load and losing competitive ability in world markets.
Keep trying, it’s definitely worth it if you can save on transportation expense and fancy clothes. Working at home in your PJs is actually quite nice! Write up your proposal, list all the benefits to the boss, he might take it seriously.
Aileen
August 9th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
13Hi, SolReka. I like your blog! Though if the world will end on the Winter Solstice in 2012, there’s not much point, is there? §;o) Must make me a solar cooker, though, as well as a solar dryer. I’m having to can tomatoes today, and that’s a job I usually do on the grill (because it’s August).
The way I understand it, the artificial photosynthesis mechanism will power hydrogen fuel cells. The technology for these is a bit lagging, but once it’s firm (within 5 years, I predict) this process will provide the fuel. Then the fuel cell(s) power the heat pump and household grid. It doesn’t have to be solar panels providing the juice for the mechanism, windmills or hydro turbines can work as well and provide juice 24 hours a day - which means you can direct-charge your electric vehicle too!
The big energy concerns (I have Duke) then have to buy back the excess juice once the fuel cells are fully charged and incoming gets switched back to the main grid. Green-generated electricity they then sell to private, municipal and industrial users who aren’t generating their own. That’s less coal and nuclear, no new plants, and a significant plus for the environment.
All of the pieces-parts (sans solar cells, at least through their lifetime to 80%) will need regular maintenance and/or replacement. That’ll cost money, which means somebody’s making money. Never worry too much about the Capitalist Spirit, it will find a way to reap the profits!
Environmental Review Post 2 for August - My Online World
September 9th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
14[…] Stumbled across an article MIT Scientist Offers ‘Solar Revolution’ on the Science News Review blog where a process discovery that will enable generation of energy […]
RSS feed for comments on this post · TrackBack URI
Leave a reply