Re: MIT researchers split water to store solar energy - catalyst--made of a cobalt phosphate



Bob Eld wrote:

"ZooKeeper" <guru@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote

MIT researchers split water to store solar energy

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

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10002704-54.html?hhTest=1&part=rss&subj=ne
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.

Exactly.


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.

I totally agree. It might as well have been titled "MIT discovers electrolysis".

No numbers about efficiency and as ever how do you store the hydrogen gas ? I
started a thread in s.e.d about it, I could hardly believe what I was reading.
And from MIT's own press office !

Graham


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