'Major discovery' from MIT primed to unleash solar revolution

[Studeo]

Scientists mimic essence of plants' energy storage system

In a revolutionary leap that could transform solar power from a marginal, boutique alternative into a mainstream energy source, MIT researchers have overcome a major barrier to large-scale solar power: storing energy for use when the sun doesn't shine.

Until now, solar power has been a daytime-only energy source, because storing extra solar energy for later use is prohibitively expensive and grossly inefficient. With today's announcement, MIT researchers have hit upon a simple, inexpensive, highly efficient process for storing solar energy.

Requiring nothing but abundant, non-toxic natural materials, this discovery could unlock the most potent, carbon-free energy source of all: the sun. "This is the nirvana of what we've been talking about for years," said MIT's Daniel Nocera, the Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy at MIT and senior author of a paper describing the work in the July 31 issue of Science. "Solar power has always been a limited, far-off solution. Now we can seriously think about solar power as unlimited and soon."

Inspired by the photosynthesis performed by plants, Nocera and Matthew Kanan, a postdoctoral fellow in Nocera's lab, have developed an unprecedented process that will allow the sun's energy to be used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gases. Later, the oxygen and hydrogen may be recombined inside a fuel cell, creating carbon-free electricity to power your house or your electric car, day or night.

The key component in Nocera and Kanan's new process is a new catalyst that produces oxygen gas from water; another catalyst produces valuable hydrogen gas. The new catalyst consists of cobalt metal, phosphate and an electrode, placed in water. When electricity — whether from a photovoltaic cell, a wind turbine or any other source — runs through the electrode, the cobalt and phosphate form a thin film on the electrode, and oxygen gas is produced.....

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/oxygen-0731.html?ref=nf

[jcocks]

Cool "discovery"....

They must be getting ready to commercialise fuel cell technology in a big way.

Please not that, despite the sarcasm, I am actually chuffed at this news........ Maybe some more of the more advanced technologies they have up their sleeves will start coming to light in the next few years???
It's quite possibly simply a matter of timing, as in when "they" want these technologies to be - hey presto - "discovered"...

[jcocks]

Umm.... I just realised that the news release is from 2008....

roll on the status quo - tho... admittedly, it can take a while to commercialise these technologies - or so they like to have us think....

[Carmody]

http://www.physorg.com/news204827475.html

Solar cells thinner than wavelengths of light hold huge power potential

10x power from something far thinner.

Ie, 80w panel becomes a 800W panel. (surface area wise)

Ultra-thin solar cells can absorb sunlight more efficiently than the thicker, more expensive-to-make silicon cells used today, because light behaves differently at scales around a nanometer, say Stanford engineers. They calculate that by properly configuring the thicknesses of several thin layers of films, an organic polymer thin film could absorb as much as 10 times more energy from sunlight than was thought possible.

[Grizzom]

Oil company's will buy the patents and the inventors will be either rich men that drop out of sight or dead men that never make the papers?

[Gestalt]

Oil company's will buy the patents and the inventors will be either rich men that drop out of sight or dead men that never make the papers?

Oil company's don't compete with grid based electricity generation. Oil company's primarily make gas that goes into cars, ships & planes.
It's coal, nuclear & hydro that are the biggest and direct competitors to solar & wind.

Grizzom get your conspiracy logic straight!

[Studeo]

The Texas Oil Company's Threat to California's Solar Industry
By Sue Kateley
Executive Director of California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA)
Thu, June 17th, 2010
Hardly a week goes by these days without the announcement of a new job-creating solar plant sprouting up in California.

Today's headlines were about plans for a 500 MW plant in King's County -- one of the areas hardest hit by the recession. Several California-based solar companies are heavily involved with the project, which will create thousands of high-wage jobs during construction.

This solar facility -- which will ultimately provide enough electricity to power 100,000 households -- joins many more that have been put in place, are under construction, or are on the drawing boards in the Golden State. All told, more than 10,000 projects are in the works in the state -- far eclipsing that of any of our state's rivals. (For a complete list, visit www.californiasolarstatistics.ca.gov).

California also is a leader in the manufacture of solar panels. For example, Sunpower, recently announced it will build its first domestic plant to make solar panels in Milpitas, creating more than 100 jobs and joining other solar manufacturers already located in California: Kyocera in San Diego, SolarWorld in Camarillo, Heliodyne in Richmond, SunEarth in Fontana, FAFCO in Chico and Solyndra in Fremont. New start-up companies, like Stion in San Jose, are moving into production mode too. Throughout California, hundreds of solar construction contractors are doing business installing solar equipment.

But there is a cloud on the horizon. Two Texas oil companies, Valero and Tesoro, are mounting a drive to dismantle the catalyst for much of these job-creating solar businesses. Any day now, their ballot measure to effectively kill AB 32 is expected to qualify for the November ballot.

If it passes, it could likely chill billions of dollars of investment in solar facilities in California. That will put thousands of jobs at risk in the Central Valley, Inland Empire, and throughout the state in areas where the sun is being harnessed to provide clean power. It will undermine California's leadership in solar power, and threatens our energy security as well.

The California Solar Energy Industries Association is strongly opposed to the job-killing Dirty Energy Proposition (www.StopDirtyEnergyProp.com). CalSEIA's 220 members are creating local jobs throughout California in clean, renewable energy.

These are in-state construction jobs up and down the career ladder -- from entry level workers to those with advanced technical skills.

California is home to the largest and smallest solar companies because of the State's leadership in recognizing that reliance on fossil fuels is no longer acceptable. Thousands of Californians, from San Diego to Redding are doing business in your community.

In addition, solar energy is helping homeowners and businesses lower their electricity and natural gas bills to zero or near zero, which helps homeowners with their daily budget and makes California businesses more profitable.

That's why we are opposed to the special interest ballot measure being advanced by Texas oil companies. They don't want the competition from the clean energy industry. But we're determined to show Californians that we no longer can afford an addition to oil, as the Gulf oil spill is reminding us daily. We are hopeful voters will agree.

http://www.foxandhoundsdaily.com/blog/sue-kateley/7126-the-texas-oil-companys-threat-californias-solar-industry

[UKIPster]

Ooh err! Who would have thought that two clever clogs blokeys at mit could have somehow stumbled upon the EARTHSHATTERING knowledge that there is Oxygen & Hydrogen in the substance that we ordinary ones call water WATER.... Hmmm ----WATER? Isnt that the same stuff thats nice to drink when its cold? And didnt all those other Alternative energy researchers get Assasinated when they tried to research this?
Oh I do hope these poor blokeys from mit are ok and that theyre not going to get exploded in their laboritories esspecially with lots of SWAT teams 200 yds away. That would be just AWFUL

[Humble Janitor]

Oil company's will buy the patents and the inventors will be either rich men that drop out of sight or dead men that never make the papers?

Pessimism isn't necessary anymore.

All they need to do is create a distraction for big oil and work around it. ;)

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@ studeo:

Texas can rot and die if they even allow their oil industry to mess with California's clean-energy industry.

I would not miss Texas if Mexico re-claimed it. I am just upset at the idea of inter-state corporations tampering with industry. I am hoping that Vermont will someday be able to harness solar energy if it can be stored efficiently for cloudy day use.

[Gestalt]

The Texas Oil Company's Threat to California's Solar Industry
By Sue Kateley

It doesn't look like Texas oil companies have it in for solar/green jobs..., they just don't want the additional costs on their California refineries due to mandatory carbon emission reduction when AB32 goes through. It is NOT a competition thing as Sue Kateley wrongly(imo) supposes in her opinion piece.... :P

http://www.triplepundit.com/2010/03/tesoro-valero-ab32/

[bluestflame]

just paint the whole existing roof , if it also has a leak sealer built in , bonus ...then the whole roof becomes a solar cell

what if they also painted the wind generators surface with this substance , for when the wind is low

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even the blades