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Catalyst Heralded as Solar-Power Breakthrough (1 of 3)
Chemists Daniel Nocera and Matthew Kanan at the Cambridge Institute of Technology have created a system that uses a very small amount of electricity to create hydrogen gas. This chemical reaction could reasonably be energized by solar cells to produce large quantities of the gas, which can be harvested as fuel. -
Catalyst Heralded as Solar-Power Breakthrough (2 of 3)
This marks a shift in the solar energy field. The electricity generated by solar cells is often quite small comparted to the amount of work done by the cell. Rather than attempting to make the solar cells themselves more effiecent, (as many have tried and failed) Nocera and Kanan used this small amount of electricity to fuel another more efficent reaction that produces a different type of clean fuel. -
Catalyst Heralded as Solar-Power Breakthrough (3 of 3)
Sanderson, K. (2008, July 31). Catalyst heralded as solar-power breakthrough. Retrieved May 22, 2015, from http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080731/full/news.2008.996.html -
Research Question
How have the technologies behind solar energy advanced in the last decade? -
Solar Road Could Change How We Power the World (1 of 3)
Electrical engineer Scott Brusaw has designed solar pannels strudy enough to be used as roads. After being tested in a laboratory setting, it is estimated that replacing major roads nationwide could produce more energy than the US uses in it's entirety. -
Solar Road Could Change How We Power the World (2 of 3)
By desining solar panels that can be used as something that we already have stretching from coast to coast, Brusaw addresses the issue of solar farms needing enourmous plots of land to generate any amount of energy that would impact an entire country. -
Solar Road Could Change How We Power the World (3 of 3)
Starr, M. (2014, May 13). Solar road could change how we power the world - CNET. Retrieved May 22, 2015, from http://www.cnet.com/news/solar-road-could-change-how-we-power-the-world/ -
Solar Energy: Springtime for the Artificial Leaf (1 of 3)
The California Institute of Technology has a team of over 80 researchers working to make the hydrogen-gas-producing artificial photosynthesis viable to the public market. The team is attempting to find the perfect combination of materials, compounds, and catalysts to make the system effecient, affordable, and most importantly, stable. -
Solar Energy: Springtime for the Artificial Leaf (2 of 3)
Discovering the golden combination of ingredients for artificial photosynthesis to the point that it could be mass marketed could lead to a shift in what companies and consumers use as fuel. A readly available, cheap, clean burning gas has the potential to turn a lot of heads. -
Solar Energy: Springtime for the Artificial Leaf (3 of 3)
Marshall, J. (2014, June 4). Solar energy: Springtime for the artificial leaf. Retrieved May 22, 2015, from http://www.nature.com/news/solar-energy-springtime-for-the-artificial-leaf-1.15341#auth-1