Eco Factor: Using solar energy to produce hydrogen.
Researchers at MIT have announced that the technology developed by Nocera’s lab last year, a catalyst that can split water and store hydrogen, could soon meet realism as Nocera has formed a company called Sun Catalytix that will commercialize the discovery.
Engineers are now working on a prototype that will use sun’s energy to split water into its constituent molecules that is hydrogen and oxygen using electrolysis. However, the difference here is that while commercial electrolyzers are expensive and require a large amount of energy, Sun Catalytix is testing a new electrolyzer that is build around a special catalyst and can run on solar energy.
The main idea is to use solar energy to power the electrolyzer and store the hydrogen generated in a tank. When the need for electricity arises, the hydrogen can be put through a fuel cell. Nocera calculates that about 3-liters of water can power an average home, or a fuel cell car.
Moreover, the research team states that they aren’t looking for next-gen fuel cells that are to be used in futuristic cars, but are in need of fuel cell technology that was abandoned 20 years ago because it couldn’t achieve a decent power density to fuel a car.
Via: CNet
