Solar Energy Breakthrough: Goal of MIT Team

September 29th, 2009 by Zachary Shahan

MIT professor Daniel Nocera formed a company earlier this year to commercialize a new technology that can “split water” and store solar energy. The company’s key objective now: achieve a solar energy breakthrough.

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As Martin LaMonica of CNET News reports, Nocera and his team of MIT engineers are looking to make solar energy cheap and widespread, and not by incremental improvements in technology. The professor and entrepeneur says this can’t happen by shrinking larger scale energy systems. “What you need in my opinion is to start with a blank piece of paper and start inventing. Don’t take what’s there and try to reengineer it.” Easier said than done, but Nocera seems to be on his way.

Moving Ahead

The new company — Sun Catalytix — has hired the former CEO of the water desalination company Ionics (purchased by General Electric), to be its chairman.

Nocera says: “This technology is moving really fast. We’re already at the engineering prototype design. I’m hiring no scientists–I’m just having a massive engineering effort right now.”

Commercial “electrolyzers” already exist that can split water, but they are expensive. Nocera’s team is looking to create something very cheap that is made of PVC plastic.

In the end, Nocera wants to have a full system. “The idea is to use solar panels to power the electrolyzer to produce hydrogen which would be stored in tanks. When people need electricity, the stored hydrogen would put through a fuel cell.”

Creating a Technology for the Future

The biggest goal of Nocera’s team is to create something for the developing world as its energy needs increase. The benefit for the developed world is one positive aspect of the technology, but the developing world is where it is really supposed to shine.

LaMonica reports: “Nocera calculates that three liters of water a day could power a home, or a fuel cell car in the ‘legacy world,’ or rich countries with a high standard of living. In poor countries where people don’t use much energy, three liters would make a dramatic difference, providing power for several people.“

Is this new technology a solar energy breakthrough that will take us into a new, decentralized world of energy? Will it solve some of the growing energy problems of the developing world? We can only wait and see.

via Green Tech – CNET News

Image Credit: ecstaticist via flickr under a Creative Commons license

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Tags: MIT, solar techology

About the Author

Zachary Shahan spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as the director/chief editor. Otherwise, he's probably enthusiastically fulfilling his duties as the director/editor of Solar Love, EV Obsession, Planetsave, or Bikocity. Zach is recognized globally as a solar energy, electric car, and wind energy expert. If you would like him to speak at a related conference or event, connect with him via social media. You can connect with Zach on any popular social networking site you like. Links to all of his main social media profiles are on ZacharyShahan.com.

russ

I just love it! How the groupies go WoW! Wow! to a press release from a chatting about nothing new except blather!

Using electricity to split water – wherever it comes from is not new – storing the H2 in cylinders is new – they mention they need a new technology I guess.

Have they actually done anything yet? The article does not indicate so.

The three liters of water thing is garbage until someone actually accomplishes it – not just chatters about it.
russ

I just love it! How the groupies go WoW! Wow! to a press release from a chatting about nothing new except blather!

Using electricity to split water – wherever it comes from is not new – storing the H2 in cylinders is new – they mention they need a new technology I guess.

Have they actually done anything yet? The article does not indicate so.

The three liters of water thing is garbage until someone actually accomplishes it – not just chatters about it.
http://www.earthmindedonline.com Donna Rennemo

The largest challenge in alternative energy markets has been cost models. To offer a solution to utilizing renewable sources in a cost effective manner for hydrogen production, would be an enormous step forward to enabling the market pull that is required to make the cost models make sense. Very exciting to see this progress being made by the MIT T
http://www.earthmindedonline.com Donna Rennemo

The largest challenge in alternative energy markets has been cost models. To offer a solution to utilizing renewable sources in a cost effective manner for hydrogen production, would be an enormous step forward to enabling the market pull that is required to make the cost models make sense. Very exciting to see this progress being made by the MIT T
Yolanda Arellano

Will keep in mind for investment …. $$$$
Yolanda Arellano

Will keep in mind for investment …. $$$$
ed

it can be done if the oil people didn’t fight against it.so they can sell more gas
ed

it can be done if the oil people didn’t fight against it.so they can sell more gas
http://www.solartown.com Kristen

The rate of change in the Solar Industry is happening so fast! Let’s hope that these technologies are fully realized and put to practice. Although, I am confident they will.
http://www.solartown.com Kristen

The rate of change in the Solar Industry is happening so fast! Let’s hope that these technologies are fully realized and put to practice. Although, I am confident they will.
Andrew

Urine would be ok but then you have to get rid of the remaining salts and nitrogen will need to be separated from your hydrogen/oxygen stream.

If you could have a dialysis system of some sort to purify the water from urine first then that would be cool. Good thought…
Andrew

Urine would be ok but then you have to get rid of the remaining salts and nitrogen will need to be separated from your hydrogen/oxygen stream.

If you could have a dialysis system of some sort to purify the water from urine first then that would be cool. Good thought…
MD

This would probably work better with urine instead of straight water, plenty of Hydrogen in urine.

Have one toilet in the house for peeing only, that would be the energy feedstock.
MD

This would probably work better with urine instead of straight water, plenty of Hydrogen in urine.

Have one toilet in the house for peeing only, that would be the energy feedstock.
Rick

Better title:

“Energy Storage Breakthrough: Goal of MIT Team”
Rick

Better title:

“Energy Storage Breakthrough: Goal of MIT Team”
Ben

I love the starting from a blank slate.

Henry Ford is famous for demanding an 8 cylinder engine. His engineers said it couldn’t be done. He then hired a new group of people who were not engineers to design the engine. This new group started from a clean slate, they didn’t even fully understand how existing engines worked. But, they found a way using a V shaped engine design. The rest is history.

Hopefully this will be much like the story of the V8 engine (only this time using cleaner technology).
Ben

I love the starting from a blank slate.

Henry Ford is famous for demanding an 8 cylinder engine. His engineers said it couldn’t be done. He then hired a new group of people who were not engineers to design the engine. This new group started from a clean slate, they didn’t even fully understand how existing engines worked. But, they found a way using a V shaped engine design. The rest is history.

Hopefully this will be much like the story of the V8 engine (only this time using cleaner technology).
russ

Went to the CNET article also.

Right now it is so much talk – probably mixed with requests for investment/funding.

If it is so easy it will have many applications where Hydrogen is produced today in the inefficient reforming operations. Many plants would love to have it. An Oxygen plant producing argon requires H2 for argon purification for example.

Hydrogen storage will not be so easy as just having a tank in the basement – hydrogen is very explosive if not handled correctly. Static electricity can cause a BIG problem. Commercial plants have little problem as the workers learn the culture. At home?

Love to see it happen but these guys seem to glib – quick with all the answers.
russ

Went to the CNET article also.

Right now it is so much talk – probably mixed with requests for investment/funding.

If it is so easy it will have many applications where Hydrogen is produced today in the inefficient reforming operations. Many plants would love to have it. An Oxygen plant producing argon requires H2 for argon purification for example.

Hydrogen storage will not be so easy as just having a tank in the basement – hydrogen is very explosive if not handled correctly. Static electricity can cause a BIG problem. Commercial plants have little problem as the workers learn the culture. At home?

Love to see it happen but these guys seem to glib – quick with all the answers.
Scott_T

Why just solar? Wind needs backup storage too
Scott_T

Why just solar? Wind needs backup storage too