A significant discovery by researchers from MIT could revolutionize the field of solar energy * The researchers tried to imitate the process of photosynthesis in plants
In a revolutionary leap that could advance solar energy from a marginal alternative to a mainstream energy source, MIT researchers have overcome a major barrier to large-scale solar power: storing usable energy when the sun isn't shining.
Until now, solar energy was a daytime energy source only, because storing the remaining energy for later use was too expensive and inefficient. The researchers from MIT have found a simple, inexpensive and very effective method of storing solar energy.
Using only non-toxic and common natural materials, this discovery could open new horizons for utilizing the most powerful non-carbon source of energy - the sun. "This is the target we have been looking for for many years," says energy professor Daniel Nocera of MIT and author of the article describing the research in the journal Science. "Solar energy has always been limited and a very remote solution. Now, we can seriously think about this type of energy as unlimited and soon."
While receiving inspiration from the process of photosynthesis that takes place in nature in green plants, the researchers developed an unprecedented process that will make it possible to use the sun's energy to split water into its basic components - gaseous hydrogen and oxygen. In the next step, these gases can react together in a fuel cell to create electricity, which is not based on carbon materials, and which will provide energy for a home or an electric vehicle, day and night.
The key component in this new process is an innovative catalyst that produces gaseous oxygen from water; Another catalyst produces the hydrogen gas. The new catalyst consists of cobalt metal, a phosphate group and an electrode, which are placed in water. When electricity - from a solar cell, wind turbine or any other source - passes through the electrode, the catalyst produces a thin layer on the electrode and gaseous oxygen is produced as a result. Combined with another catalyst, such as platinum, which is able to produce hydrogen from water, the system is able to mimic the water decomposition reaction that occurs during photosynthesis.
The new catalyst works at room temperature, under neutral pH conditions of water and is easy to use, claims the lead researcher. "This is why I know the system will be successful - it is simple to implement," he says.
The sun's rays have the highest ability to be a source of energy to solve the world's energy problems, says the researcher. In just one hour, there is a sufficient amount of sunlight reaching the earth to provide all the energy needed for all the factories in the world for an entire year.
Researchers in the field stated that the new method is a huge leap towards the production of clean energy in large quantities that is not based on carbon fuels. "This is a very significant discovery and has enormous implications for the future development of humanity," says a researcher in the field. "The importance of their discovery cannot be overstated because it opens a window for the development of new technologies for energy production and reduces our dependence on fossil fuels (oil and natural gas) as well as helps solve the problem of climate warming nowadays." Current electric dewatering devices, which split water using electricity into hydrogen and oxygen, are indeed used in industry today, but are not suitable for artificial photosynthesis systems due to their high price and their requirement for a very basic environment that does not come close to the real environment in which photosynthesis occurs.
Although additional engineering work is needed to integrate the scientific discovery into existing photovoltaic systems, the chief researcher is confident that such systems will indeed become a near reality. "This is just the beginning," he claims, "the scientific community will indeed turn to using this discovery."
The researcher hopes that within a decade, private individuals will be able to provide energy to their homes through sunlight during the day by photovoltaic cells, while the rest of the solar energy will be directed to the production of hydrogen and oxygen and its use in a fuel cell to create energy for the night. Electricity, carried to consumers by cables, could then become a thing of the past.
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I recommend everyone to read this article that refers to the same article:
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/4378
Anyone who takes a few minutes to read the entire article will find that it is indeed an interesting study, but not the revolutionary discovery that the media and the university's public relations body are trying to sell us.
I heard the researcher in the reprimand he gave regarding his research and he presented irrelevant data regarding what is happening in the industry. For example, he claimed that his system has an advantage since it is possible to work in an open cell. But then it is not possible to collect the products which are gases. For example, he compares the price to platinum, but in the industry they work with nickel. More and more successful examples are detailed in the link
Solar cells are not common because there are problems with global output.
It does not meet the global demand, especially recently when the price of oil has risen, and the economic viability of solar cells has risen with it.
such pleasure. Dr. Nachmani adds and brings us excellent articles and I so enjoy browsing the site and reading the excellent articles and also the fascinating comments.
Well done
Oren Ariav
I think the connection to photosynthesis, and the fact that this process even made headlines, is that the process comes to imitate the photosynthesis that the trees do.
Decomposing water into oxygen and hydrogen by electrolysis is a well-known, expensive and not too efficient process (50-80%).
This new process is probably much more effective than electrolysis because it imitates photosynthesis. Even on the MIT website it is not really explained why and how.
In any case, the reverse process will still be done by fuel cells, which also have a lot of work to do on their efficiency, but cheap production of hydrogen cannot be bad news.
To my people: "to route" and not "to route".
For everyone else: I don't understand what the problem is with storing the electricity generated by the solar collectors in batteries as is done today?
Can anyone explain?
Or maybe the intention is to store energy on a commercial scale?
I didn't understand what it had to do with photosynthesis...
Ami Bachar
Generating electricity using batteries that work on oxygen and hydrogen is one of the most efficient sources of energy.
The electric cars will operate using the method. The most modern submarines are powered by this method.
The problem still lies in the storage of hydrogen and is being solved by various chemical and other means.
And when this is resolved, the aforementioned method far surpasses all other methods for storing electricity from the sun.
I believe the place to aim for is the place of heat coupling. Heat is always generated and nowadays we don't do too much with it. In many cases the heat generated is a nuisance and a lot of water is used to get rid of it (heat pollution, usually in the sea). The heat coupling technology is not good, therefore the general efficiency of solar reactions comes down to the efficiency of converting light energy into electrical energy. The calculation will take a very big turn if they succeed in diverting the generated heat (which is of course all the other energy that cannot be harvested directly into electricity) in favor of resources that consume electricity or can generate electricity. A simple example (and perhaps too simple) is the creation of steam with which, as we all know, heavy trains were moved in the past. When we know how to channel the light for personal use (let's say by optical fibers that are connected to our roof and pick up light and transmit it to a lamp at home), for electrical use (utilizing solar energy and converting it to electrical energy) and finally coupling to heat sources (heating water, heating water purification reactors, etc.) or So the general calculation of quantum utilization will be high and will even far exceed the photokinematic system in the living world. In this (last) system, the coupling is only electrical and most of the energy is lost to heat and prevents overheating or very strong oxidizing formations that react with the system and impair its efficiency.
Greetings friends,
Ami Bachar
to 12 There are some experimental ways to store energy, another way to the one you mentioned
It is solar pools that, through a certain composition of salts, prevent evaporation and so on
Stores heat (which can be converted into electricity in conventional ways), another way
She separated salts from water by reverse osmosis and combining the water with the salt
again to produce electricity.
Indeed the problem is the large volume of hydrogen and its tendency to explode; Basically possible
Apply the new method by accumulating hydrogen (using this process) in the territories
open in Africa, turning it into some liquid raw material (propane, for example)
In a chemical factory and trading in it - but it would be a completely wasteful process - as well
So the solar cells are not efficient.
Ran Levy:
The idea you are talking about has been implemented for many years by the Mekorot company.
They use cheap electricity (at times when electricity demand is low) to raise water to high places and provide pressure in low places when electricity is expensive.
Hugin:
Doron didn't think it was too good.
I assume you are aware that this expression is mainly used to express distrust.
Despite the syntax saying otherwise, the phrase "too much" refers to the word "sound" more than it refers to the word "good"
I don't understand the concept of "too much of a good thing".. Well, it is always for the better, and if there is such a trend
You have to bless everything. For those who "worry", that God forbid there will suddenly be nothing to learn, oh wow... this
Just beginning and for the benefit of all of us.
Well done, for today's articles.
I am also a little skeptical about this discovery. Suppose a convenient separation of water into hydrogen and oxygen is possible: the big problem is actually the storage of hydrogen, in my opinion. It is a very explosive substance, and unlike oil it is very difficult to keep it safe (one spark and...you get the point.)
I actually heard an idea that intrigued me very much about solar energy storage. The solar energy is used during the day to pump water to the top of a tall water tower. At night, the water falls back into the sea and drives a turbine. In fact, the energy is stored as gravitational potential energy...a clever idea, I think. what do you think?
Ran Levy
Not such a big "bargain".
The problem is the low utilization of the solar cells, the system may solve it
the problem for small and remote places (and maybe also for certain types of tools
vehicle) that will now be able to store electricity, but if it's about systems that anyway
are connected to the electricity company infrastructure, with the main consumption in sunny places
It is during the day (air conditioners, factories and other workplaces), after all, systems
These do not need a storage system because most of their produce will be used immediately -
And the storage system (if it will be used at all) will only increase the price of the system
the final
To Roy and Ami Bachar and others
They meant the method of storage because that's the only way they could use the excess energy at night. What I understood is that they use a catalyst to improve the breakdown of the water molecule into hydrogen and oxygen.
Beyond that, the explanation is lacking and incomprehensible.
To Roy
The hydrogen that comes out as two protons is hydrogen, and nothing else.
To Ami Bachar
I think that the current much more preoccupation with solar energy will result in some sort of "rush" in promoting the issue.
Good Day
Sabdarmish Yehuda
Yogev,
I'm not sure solar energy is really taking off.
What is certain is that writing about it is gaining momentum.
Everyone wants to read about it.
How far does it really come in our lives?
For me at least nothing has changed.
I'm still connected with the same devices I was connected with 20 years ago
to the same power grid.
Greetings friends,
Ami Bachar
Friends, notice how in recent times solar energy is picking up speed and is slowly becoming more and more possible for widespread implementation.
I wish I could be a part of it.
To Ami Bachar
It seems that's what they meant. Today, what is produced in a photoelectric process, for example, if it is not used immediately (either on the spot or by feeding into the electricity grid), it is very difficult and uneconomical to store. Here they offer a way to easily store the surplus, and then convert the stored energy chemically - for different uses using fuel cells.
I wish I was wrong, but it sounds too good...
Another thought - his innovation is in energy storage, not in more efficient production of energy from the sun. There is still the limitation of low utilization of voltaic cells. It seems to me a bit sketchy what he did and how he presents it, but I could be wrong....
to Judah,
I'm not sure of the answer, but you want to separate the oxygen and hydrogen - not have them come out together. That's why you let the oxygen come out as a gas from one electrode and the hydrogen in that electrode turns into two protons (not into hydrogen gas). At the second electrode you get hydrogen, while the oxygen turns into O-2.
That way you can collect oxygen from one electrode and hydrogen from a second electrode and not get a mixture of the gases. Otherwise I don't really understand what's new here either.
If it is possible to add a link after every 3 boxes - "to read the rest of the articles" and similar, which currently does not exist. At the moment it prevents the reader from staying longer on the site and expanding his knowledge and from you doing a few more jobs.
Good Day.
I did not understand the innovation and greatness. I'm sure there is one here, after all it was published in Science, but I can't get it.
Conversion of light to electricity - known and known. They didn't do anything here and from articles published in science I learned that the survivor scratches the 5%.
From this article I understand that the amount created during the day is greater than what can be used (??) and there is an excess that can be left for the period of darkness. How do you do it? Trying to conserve energy. If I understood correctly, these researchers propose that the preservation will be in the separation of hydrogen and oxygen during daylight hours at the same time as harvesting energy and during the night let the hydrogen and oxygen react and harvest the energy from this process? It is not written explicitly so I do not understand the meaning.
I would appreciate clarification,
Ami Bachar
Something is not clear to me.
Is there a mistake in the sentence "The key component in this new process is an innovative catalyst (catalyst) that produces gaseous oxygen from water; another catalyst produces the hydrogen gas." End quote.
Why is an additional catalyst needed? Is one catalyst not enough? After all, if it creates the oxygen, then inevitably the hydrogen will also be created?.
In the rest of the article it is only about one catalyst.
And by the way, the translation made from the original is accurate.
good evening
Sabdarmish Yehuda
Sounds, too good.
Oxygen and hydrogen in abundance from nature
Really cold process.
Doron.