In the span of an hour, enough sunlight strikes Earth to satisfy the whole planet's energy requirements for a year. Thanks to MIT research, we now have a way to turn solar power into a major energy source.
Researchers there have found a simple, inexpensive, highly efficient way to store energy for use when the sun isn't shining.
"That's why I know this is going to work. It's so easy to implement," said MIT's Daniel Nocera, the Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy at MIT and senior author of a paper in Science about the work.
Solar power hasn't been a large-scale energy solution because storing extra solar energy has been hugely expensive and terribly inefficient up until now.
"This is the nirvana of what we've been talking about for years," said Nocera. "Solar power has always been a limited, far-off solution. Now we can seriously think about solar power as unlimited and soon."
How'd they do it? They were inspired by the photosynthesis plants do. Nocera and a colleage crafted a process that lets the sun's energy be used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gases. A water split occurs naturally during photosynthesis. The oxygen and hydrogen can later be recombined inside a fuel cell. Fuel cells make carbon-free electricity to power our gadgets, homes, and electric cars.
Their work employs a new catalyst that works at room temperature in neutral pH water. That's what makes it so easy to set up.
They still need to do more engineering work to integrate this tech into the photovalic systems we already have, but Nocera predicts that will soon be a reality. He hopes that within a decade, we'll be able to power our homes in daylight through photovoltaic cells and the solar energy we don't use will produce hydrogen and oxygen to power a household's fuel cell.
What could that mean for current power companies? Electricity sent by a central source via wire could one day be like rotary phones.
Nocera's project was part of the MIT Energy Initiative. It's a program that aims to improve our energy systems now so we won't be so strained in the future. The program's success may be in part attributed to the fact that it relies on mixed funding sources -- governmental, philanthropic, and industrial.
This project was funded by the National Science Foundation and the Chesonis Family Foundation. The foundation gave MIT $10 million this spring to launch the Solar Revolution Project.
It stipulated the goal would be large-scale implementation of solar energy within ten years.
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Post subject: Re: Solar Energy may be the answer within the next decade
Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 3:51 pm
Menace to Dogciety
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 11:54 pm Posts: 12287 Location: Manguetown Gender: Male
I dont want to start a war...but...
Incredible how much of solar energy research comes from the USA, I almost dont see any news about europeans doing the same. Its like the poverty issue, europeans like to be shocked by it, but the americans who do must of the philanthropy.
_________________ There's just no mercy in your eyes There ain't no time to set things right And I'm afraid I've lost the fight I'm just a painful reminder Another day you leave behind
Post subject: Re: Solar Energy may be the answer within the next decade
Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 4:25 pm
Unthought Known
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 12:47 pm Posts: 9282 Location: Atlanta Gender: Male
Human Bass wrote:
I dont want to start a war...but...
Incredible how much of solar energy research comes from the USA, I almost dont see any news about europeans doing the same. Its like the poverty issue, europeans like to be shocked by it, but the americans who do must of the philanthropy.
check out Germany, they are doing a lot of practical stuff in this area in the last few years.
I think once the LED bulb technology gets cheaper and more viable... this solution will start becoming far more prevalent. After the initial investment it's very cost effective.
Incredible how much of solar energy research comes from the USA, I almost dont see any news about europeans doing the same. Its like the poverty issue, europeans like to be shocked by it, but the americans who do must of the philanthropy.
check out Germany, they are doing a lot of practical stuff in this area in the last few years.
I think once the LED bulb technology gets cheaper and more viable... this solution will start becoming far more prevalent. After the initial investment it's very cost effective.
i do foresee a very turbulent transition economically.
_________________ This ain't no party, this ain't no disco this ain't no fooling around...
Incredible how much of solar energy research comes from the USA, I almost dont see any news about europeans doing the same. Its like the poverty issue, europeans like to be shocked by it, but the americans who do must of the philanthropy.
check out Germany, they are doing a lot of practical stuff in this area in the last few years.
Yeah, a German solar company is planning on building new HQ in the US in Cleveland.
_________________ "They got their dirty maize-and-blue hands on it, they screwed it up." --Chris Spielman on Ohio State-Michigan rivalry
Post subject: Re: Solar Energy may be the answer within the next decade
Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 9:08 pm
Former PJ Drummer
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 11:00 am Posts: 16093 Location: dublin Gender: Male
Here in Ireland we've been researching wave energy, which is basically dropping fields of turbine generators in the Atalntic and letting the ocean do the work. Apparently we have the best position in the North Atlantic to use this as a resource...Though given the cowboys we're currently run by, it'll be decades before we get into this but heer's the piece..
was selected in order to define the economic limit for a cable network to deliver power ashore from the generators. Following this approach, the accessible wave energy resource was therefore estimated to be 21TWh which would be sufficient to supply 75% of ROI’s 2006 electricity requirement. In terms of power, this would be equivalent to an average power output of 2.4GW of generation. This number is not intended to be a final definitive estimate of Ireland’s potential, for example, improvements in technology performance will cause this number to rise.
The amount of this accessible resource which Ireland ultimately realises will depend on the:
* The cost effectiveness of the wave energy technology. * The amount of power which can be practically connected to the network from the western seaboard locations. * The amount of capacity available on the network when other intermittent generation sources such as onshore/offshore wind energy are considered.
_________________ At the end of the day, it's night.
Post subject: Re: Solar Energy may be the answer within the next decade
Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 12:17 am
Supersonic
Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2004 2:43 am Posts: 10694
Solar is not the wave of the future. It will never be the wave of the future. Get over the solar power, and get over the wind power. It's all unreliable garbage.
Tidal power is not the wave of the future either. It's already proven to be awful for oceanic ecosystems and it doesn't provide enough power. My handy dandy oceonagraphy book (Oceanography, An Invitation to Marine Science, Sixth Edition, Tom Garrison) states that if all the ideal locations for this type of power were utilized, that this type of power could only meet 1% of global energy demand.
Post subject: Re: Solar Energy may be the answer within the next decade
Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 1:20 am
Former PJ Drummer
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 4:01 am Posts: 19477 Location: Brooklyn NY
LittleWing wrote:
Solar is not the wave of the future. It will never be the wave of the future. Get over the solar power, and get over the wind power. It's all unreliable garbage.
Tidal power is not the wave of the future either. It's already proven to be awful for oceanic ecosystems and it doesn't provide enough power. My handy dandy oceonagraphy book (Oceanography, An Invitation to Marine Science, Sixth Edition, Tom Garrison) states that if all the ideal locations for this type of power were utilized, that this type of power could only meet 1% of global energy demand.
I place the utmost confidence in your advice
_________________
LittleWing sometime in July 2007 wrote:
Unfortunately, it's so elementary, and the big time investors behind the drive in the stock market aren't so stupid. This isn't the false economy of 2000.
Their work employs a new catalyst that works at room temperature in neutral pH water.
I wonder what rare earth metal found only in the mountains of islamoterroristastan powers this. Eh, found it, they used a cobalt phosphate solution. That's not so tough to get.
BTW, this is not a new idea, just a new-ish catalyst. The key is localized generation and storage that is backed up by the current grid.
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