Solar Fuel: Yep, It’s A Genuine Artificial Leaf
Solar fuel is the next wave of the renewable energy revolution, once they figure out how to scale a tiny little tile into a commercial scale operation.
solar leaf
MIT’s “Artifical Leaf” For Solar Energy Storage & Fuel Moves Forward
Bringing the concept of an “artificial leaf” closer to reality, a team of researchers at MIT has published a detailed analysis of all the factors that could limit the efficiency of such a system. The new analysis lays out a roadmap for a research program to improve the efficiency of … [continued]
Solar News Roundup
Some more solar energy news from around the net to wrap up the week: SolarCity & Clean Currents have teamed up to offer fixed-price Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) for solar power with as little as $0 down and long-term electricity discounts/savings. The largest city-sponsored solar financing program in the U.S. has … [continued]
Powerhouse Solar Cell Inspired by Leaf Biomimicry
A team of scientists headed up by Princeton University has achieved a whopping 47 percent increase in electricity generation from flexible plastic solar cells, simply by texturing the surface to mimic the wrinkles of a typical leaf. The biomimicry approach has resulted in a low cost, elegant solution for polymer-based … [continued]
Tiny Silver Nano-Trees Pack Huge Solar Power Punch
A team of researchers at the University of California, Davis has developed solar energy’s Next Big Thing: nanoscale silver filaments grown in a treelike pattern. Just as a tree’s leaves collect sunlight over a broad surface area relative to their trunks, the filaments of silver nano-trees would be able to … [continued]
Is That a Fuel Cell in Your Pocket, Or Are You Just Glad to See…
Researchers at Oxford University are developing the basis for a long lasting, non-toxic, low cost miniature hydrogen fuel cell that could power pocket-sized electronic devices as well as laptops and other portables. The downscaled size would be made possible by using a small cartridge of
Dr. Nocera’s Invention May be the Future of Alternative Energy. But it’s Not a Leaf!
A lab at MIT, led by Dr. Daniel Nocera, have invented a new and novel form of storing energy that may prove to be an important milestone in the development of alternative energy. In fact, the obvious utility of the process has engendered a bit of excitement, but this excitement has also generated some misconceptions about the process that I would like to clear up, now that I have a more complete understanding of how it works.
