Green4G Organization - Harnessing 4G for a Greener World

Home

Green4G Blog

Green Blog

MIT researchers use Plant Energy Storage System for solar Storage Innovation

Written by robert_syputa
Sunday, 03 August 2008
Electronic Design, Strategy, News (EDN) article points to MIT breakthrough for energy storage and hydrogen gas conversion. Researchers say that this is a simple, easy to implement and efficient breakthrough that is needed to store the energy created by solar, wind, and other alternative energy sources (comment: ocean power is a huge powtential contributor). Wireless suppliers and operators are increasingly harnessing photo-voltaic cells and wind alternative energy sources but face the problem of providing night time power. Some have turned increasingly to the use of fule-cells. This breakthrough may result in wider spread use of the combined use of alternative energy sources coupled with hydrogen fuel cells. While still at a development stage, it becomes part of the vision of Green4G. MIT researchers use plant energy storage system for solar storage innovation Solar power has been a daytime-only energy source until now because storing extra solar energy for later use is prohibitively expensive and grossly inefficient, but its researchers have come upon a simple, inexpensive, highly efficient process for storing solar energy that requires nothing but abundant, non-toxic natural materials, inspired by the photosynthesis performed by plants, MIT said. *By Ann Steffora Mutschler, Senior Editor -- Electronic News, 8/1/2008* In what Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers say is a revolutionary leap that could transform solar power from a marginal, boutique alternative into a mainstream energy source, the researchers report they have discovered a way to store energy for use when the sun doesn't shine, thereby overcoming a major barrier to large-scale solar power. MIT reminded that 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, but its researchers have come upon a simple, inexpensive, highly efficient process for storing solar energy that requires nothing but abundant, non-toxic natural materials, inspired by the photosynthesis performed by plants. “This is the nirvana of what we’ve been talking about for years. Solar power has always been a limited, far-off solution. Now we can seriously think about solar power as unlimited and soon,” noted MIT's Daniel Nocera, (pictured left) the Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy at MIT and senior author of a paper describing the work in the July 31 issue of Science, in a statement. Nocera and Matthew Kanan, a postdoctoral fellow in Nocera's lab developed a process that will allow the sun's energy to be used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gases, which later may be recombined inside a fuel cell, creating carbon-free electricity to power houses or electric cars, day or night. The key component in the process is a catalyst -- cobalt metal, phosphate and an electrode, placed in water -- that produces oxygen gas from water, while another catalyst produces hydrogen gas. 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, the researchers explained. Combined with another catalyst, such as platinum, that can produce hydrogen gas from water, the system can duplicate the water splitting reaction that occurs during photosynthesis. The new catalyst works at room temperature, in neutral pH water, and is easy to set up, Nocera said. “That’s why I know this is going to work. It’s so easy to implement,” he said. Nocera also said that sunlight has the greatest potential of any power source to solve the world’s energy problems, since in one hour, enough sunlight strikes the Earth to provide the entire planet's energy needs for one year. “This is a major discovery with enormous implications for the future prosperity of humankind. 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 for fossil fuels and addressing the global climate change problem,” added James Barber, a leader in the study of photosynthesis, the Ernst Chain Professor of Biochemistry at Imperial College London, and who called the discovery a "giant leap" toward generating clean, carbon-free energy on a massive scale. More work to do While this is a good start, the currently available electrolyzers that split water with electricity and are often used industrially, are not suited for artificial photosynthesis because they are very expensive and require a highly basic (non-benign) environment that has little to do with the conditions under which photosynthesis operates, Nocera said. As such, more engineering work needs to be done to integrate the new scientific discovery into existing photovoltaic systems, but Nocera is confident that such systems will become a reality. “This is just the beginning. The scientific community is really going to run with this,” he added. Nocera hopes that within 10 years homeowners will be able to power their homes in daylight through photovoltaic cells, while using excess solar energy to produce hydrogen and oxygen to power their own household fuel cell. Electricity-by-wire from a central source could be a thing of the past. The project is part of the MIT Energy Initiative, a program designed to help transform the global energy system to meet the needs of the future and to help build a bridge to that future by improving today's energy systems.
Last Updated ( Sunday, 03 August 2008 )

< Prev

[ Back ]

Language Selection

Main Menu

PiggyBack Dynamic Rideshare

Green 4G Events

WiMAXPro.com

Login Form

Syndicate

Green4G_Scroller

Polls

WiMAX LTE UMB 4G are Green

Join Green4G Today!

Green4G - Now is the right time for the wireless industry to lead the information age society as the most effective and productive way to progress while reducing environmental impact. Next generation Wireless is the most dynamic 'technology environment' to bring people and information together.. the 4G super highway of the post fosil fuel age. Stand up to the challenge and exciting opportunities.

Green 4G advocates pro-active use of broadband as an enabler of Green communications methods used in work and personal activities. Join us to take advantage of industry promotion, legislative agenda and exchange of information.

Why Participate in Green 4G?

A Definition of Green 4G: The design, deployment and use of (next generation) wireless networks to reduce environment impacts in ways that are enabling of business, government, and individual well-being.

Key Methods of Achieving Green 4G:

Design and deployment of wireless networks
1. Low power base stations & remote stations/nodes and subscriber devices
2. Distributed and alternative power sources

i. Solar power

ii. Fuel-cells

iii. Co-generation

Use of wireless for power monitoring, distribution and

load-shedding

Use of NG Communication to Reduce Environmental Impacts
1. Bridge the acknowledged gap to achieving the following

i. Greater use of telecommuting

ii. Video and on-site teleconferencing

iii. Paperless office

iv. Higher use of ridesharing and car pooling

v. More efficient use of transportation via data rich GPS-mapping

This outline only scratches the surface of individual developments and combinations of efforts that are within the embrace of the concept of using next generation wireless as the ‘information super highway’. These benefit from the combination of always-on connectivity, reasonable cost rich media and data services, and creative programs and SaaS and location aware and social networking capabilities.

Why companies and individuals should support Green 4G as an industry effort:

To promote the more effective harnessing of communications
To develop a cohesive legislative agenda
- Energy/CO2 offsets
- Standards, guidelines and linkage with government planning and transportation facilities and programs
- To make the voice of the industry heard above the roar of incumbent and alternative (and often less immediate and mutually beneficial) interests
To promote self-interests
- Being Green is good marketing and now is the time to grab the competitive differentiation
- Cutting power and transportation reduces internal costs
- Cutting power and transportation costs is beneficial to customers
- As an ‘organizing principle’ for social networking on wireless