Re: MIT researchers split water to store solar energy - catalyst--made of a cobalt phosphate
- From: "Bob Eld" <nsmontassoc@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:56:49 -0700
"ZooKeeper" <guru@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:L6-dnWEAkIYtyQ_VnZ2dnUVZ_jmdnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
MIT researchers split water to store solar energyhttp://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10002704-54.html?hhTest=1&part=rss&subj=ne
The core scientific discovery was finding a way to break oxygen out of
the water with a relatively inexpensive and benign material, Nocera
said. The catalyst--made of a cobalt phosphate--can operate in plain
water at atmospheric pressure, giving it more potential than existing
methods, he said.
http://tinyurl.com/5ctcxw
or
ws&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
When I first heard about this, I thought they had come up with a cheap
method to directly split water with sun light. Unfortunately that is NOT the
case. This thing is nothing but another electrolyzer using some EXPENSIVE
cobalt based catalyst. No mention was made of what it brings to the table
not found in traditional electrolyzers. Presumably the efficiency is higher?
But who knows? The electricity still has to come from something like silicon
cells which, in effect, makes it a non starter.
It's the cells that have to get cheaper and more readily available. What's
with the electrolyzer? Is that a problem area needing a "break through?"
Yet again an energy announcement hyped in the press turns out to be
virtually nothing to write home about. I guess we can go back to sleep!
BTW cobalt is one of those strategic materials that comes from an unstable
part of the world, Africa. We need it like a hole in the head as an
important substance required for our energy independence. I say, back to the
lab.
.
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