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circularvortex
Bass Head



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"Artificial Leaf" Energy Solution
#14214231 - 03/31/11 10:54 AM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=artificial-leaf-might-provide-mobile-energy
Quote:
An artificial "leaf" that collects energy in much the same way as a natural one could provide a day's worth of power for homes without access to an electricity grid.
The leaf, a silicon-based square the size of a playing card, closely mimics the way plants use the process of photosynthesis to create energy. The device is dropped into a bucket of water, or even a muddy puddle, and placed in direct sunlight.
"Leaves are buzzing with electricity," said Daniel Nocera, a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who heads the research, "they just don't have any wires in them." Neither does the artificial leaf.
The leaf contains catalysts -- or molecules that accelerate chemical reactions -- that split H2O into hydrogen and oxygen gas. The gases are then sent to a fuel cell, which in turn produces a wireless current of electricity. Hydrogen and oxygen catalysts cover each side of a thin silicon layer -- the same material used in solar cells -- to accelerate the water-splitting reaction. The reaction is visible to anyone looking through a clear glass of water, as gases bubble around the leaf.
The idea of an silicon-based leaf is not a new one: Researchers at the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory came up with a similar idea in 1998. That version, however, was created with expensive rare materials, including platinum, and a had a short life span.
Two years ago, Nocera discovered a way to use cheaper, readily available elements, including cobalt and nickel, that make the new leaf up to 10 times more efficient at creating energy than a natural one.
Nocera says this leaf could provide up to 30 kilowatt-hours of electricity per day, on par with the typical American household's electricity use, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The leaf can produce energy for up to 45 hours in the lab, without interruption. He expects to develop an effective prototype for the leaf in the next two to three years.
Energy for the poor and the mobile This cheap technology is especially promising to communities without electricity in Africa, Asia and other developing regions. Highly mobile units, like military installations, would also benefit, said Nocera.
"Soldiers are killed guarding on supply lines," he said, and if they could carry their energy around, it could lead to less casualties.
Another plus, says Nocera, is that the water source needn't be pure, an advance from past experiments, and a necessity in places where clean water is a luxury.
The direct solar fuels system this technology employs, said Nocera, avoids the need to store energy in a battery for later use, a method he called a "short-term Band-Aid" compared to large-scale, stationary energy storage.
"If you're going to get to terawatts of storage," as will be needed as energy demands continue to rise, especially in developing countries, "there's not going to be enough batteries, because they're not going to have enough energy [storage]."
While the technology, like traditional solar cell technology, still encounters the drawbacks of cloudy days, said Nocera: "It shouldn't stop you from trying to not use fossil fuels and ignore the sun."
Nocera presents his findings today at the American Chemical Society's annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif.
Reprinted from Climatewire with permission from Environment & Energy Publishing, LLC. www.eenews.net, 202-628-6500
I read in another article this can even be used with human waste water. Soon pissing in a bucket and moving it into the sun will power your home.
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Psy Baba
That was zen, This is Tao



Registered: 01/30/06 
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crazy, thanks.
-------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Sit up and meditate, there's no time to contemplate. ------------------------------------------------- I have an international Hitech Psytrance project with a friend: BioChronic I make various form of Psytrance as a solo Project Dendriform
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circularvortex
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Re: "Artificial Leaf" Energy Solution [Re: Psy Baba]
#14214604 - 03/31/11 12:27 PM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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Bump. Read this shit people, it's fucking revolutionary.
-------------------- No statements made in any post or message by myself should be construed to mean that I am now, or have ever been, participating in or considering participation in any activities in violation of any local, state, federal, or fashion police laws. All posts are works of fiction. For well you know that its a fool who plays it cool By making his world a little colder. Under closer inspection I realised it was a funky ball of tits from outer space.
 
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biff
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Very cool stuff. we need some revolutionary new technology that doesn't destroy the earth.
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Chespirito
Stranger



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Re: "Artificial Leaf" Energy Solution [Re: biff]
#14214625 - 03/31/11 12:32 PM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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But the oil companies and governments agents are gonna shut this down rights guys? Right???? ????????????/////>>???
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makaveli8x8
Stranger

Registered: 02/28/06
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ill believe it when i pee on it
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  We were sent to hell for eternity Ø h® We play on earth to pass the time Over-population the root of all Evil-brings the Elites Closer to the gates.
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Deekay



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Re: "Artificial Leaf" Energy Solution [Re: makaveli8x8]
#14214814 - 03/31/11 01:17 PM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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I'd like to see a more detailed explanation of how exactly this works in relation to photosynthesis (light and dark reactions), and what types of energy costs are associated with the production of these 'leaves'.
I'm skeptical
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circularvortex
Bass Head




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Re: "Artificial Leaf" Energy Solution [Re: Chespirito]
#14214836 - 03/31/11 01:22 PM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
Chespirito said: But the oil companies and governments agents are gonna shut this down rights guys? Right???? ????????????/////>>???
The company handling the commercialization contract is worth a lot of money. They're the biggest financial group in India
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/43589/20100816/tata-reliance-industries-ratan-tata-sterlite-bharti-airtel-mukesh-ambani-anil-ambani.htm
Surpassing the leading business houses led by Ambani brothers, Tata group has become the wealthiest business conglomerate in India with a market capitalization of Rs 3,710 billion ($79.3 billion), said a Press Trust of India (PTI) report.
Hopefully this company being worth almost $80 billion USD will be able to resist buyouts and realize their earning potential from this brilliant creation.
If they can actually get this product to the market it will be fucking HUGE.
It won't solve the energy crisis, but it will take out a large, large dent. Solar panels now are huge an inefficient when compared to this new technology. Once it gets released tax credits for it's installation will follow, and you'll start to see these things everywhere.
That Tata group is making a power plant with this technology...and it's going to be the size of a refrigerator.
Americans probably won't even have to stoop so low as to use piss in ours (not that there's anything wrong with it, just smelly and messy), we can use old shower water, old washing machine water, etc. I'm really, really interested to see how this plays out. I'm having trouble finding any estimates on when it will be ready for the market, but hopefully within the next 10 years we'll start seeing these everywhere.
-------------------- No statements made in any post or message by myself should be construed to mean that I am now, or have ever been, participating in or considering participation in any activities in violation of any local, state, federal, or fashion police laws. All posts are works of fiction. For well you know that its a fool who plays it cool By making his world a little colder. Under closer inspection I realised it was a funky ball of tits from outer space.
 
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circularvortex
Bass Head




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Re: "Artificial Leaf" Energy Solution [Re: Deekay]
#14214864 - 03/31/11 01:28 PM (12 years, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
Deekay said: I'd like to see a more detailed explanation of how exactly this works in relation to photosynthesis (light and dark reactions), and what types of energy costs are associated with the production of these 'leaves'.
I'm skeptical 
A legitimate concern. From my understanding it uses the energy from sunlight, and cobalt and nickel based catlysts to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, and these are stored in a fuel cell which produces electricity from them. Don't even need batteries, just a place to store the gases.
The costs to produce these artificial leaves must be very low, because the inventor is seeking to aim these at developing countries to provide power, but if consumers in developed countries took initiative they could definitely be integrated into our grid system...or I suppose could take you off the grid, if....for some reason.....you're super into that. Me, I'll take my continuous stream of power thanks much. No reason you can't just sell your power to the electric companies and enjoy having electricity when it doesn't happen to be sunny outside.
This is all technology we've produced before...the first artificial leaf was made in the late 1990's, but they were too expensive to mass produce. Apparently these new catalysts are able to replace the older expensive ones that prevented production.
-------------------- No statements made in any post or message by myself should be construed to mean that I am now, or have ever been, participating in or considering participation in any activities in violation of any local, state, federal, or fashion police laws. All posts are works of fiction. For well you know that its a fool who plays it cool By making his world a little colder. Under closer inspection I realised it was a funky ball of tits from outer space.
 
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