More of the old texas oil shill (industry lobbyists) three step. Divert (attention from real energy solutions like plugin hybrids), delay (the manufactire of those alternatives), in order to keep on guzzlin', neeehaaaaww! The majical hydrogen economy revisited, yet again.
Truly astounding!
The scientific illiteracy in this MIT press release.
Hmmm, well it's called electrolysis isn't it, first developed in 1800?
"Requiring nothing but abundant, non-toxic natural materials"
"Combined with another catalyst, such as platinum, that can produce hydrogen gas from water,"
Platinum abundant? It is rare and extremely expensive. Catalytic converters are now being stolen from cars for the Platinum. The thieves get 100 bucks from scrap dealers for the 1000+ dollar items.
"In a revolutionary leap that could transform solar power from a marginal, boutique alternative into a mainstream energy source"
That has already happened. Solar concentrating PV/heat cogeneration and solar concentrating furnaces with heat storage have acomplished that.
"MIT researchers have overcome a major barrier to large-scale solar power: storing energy for use when the sun doesn't shine."
This has too. With concentrating solar furnace molten salt base load power.
No need to proceeed, there doesn't seem to be one thing that the reporter got right in this article. I'm afraid to watch the video out of fear that the researcher will follow suit.
A complete hydrogen powered home was featured a year or two ago. The storage tanks, electrolyzers, and fuel cells cost 300,000 bucks if I remember correctly.
But have no fear, thanks to this huge breakthrough... "...within 10 years, homeowners will be able to power their homes in daylight through photovoltaic cells, while using excess solar energy to produce hydrogen and oxygen to power their own household fuel cell."
No problem, just wait 10 years. Instead of going solar now.
Damn, I did it, watched the video. Is duuhbya appointing research professors at MIT now? This guy actually had a diagram where oxygen was stored to feed the fuel cell.
So you compress the hydrogen and the oxygen? Oxygen that any other fuel cell design (except in airless space) gets from the air? The energy to store the compressed gas defeats the efficiency of this design with hydrogen compression alone.
But compressing the oxygen needlessly? Yur doin' a heckuva job Nocera..ie.
What has happened to our scientific and research community that this can happen?
You want a hydrogen storage breakthrough MIT? Try nano tech metal hydride if you really want to do something useful.
Recent nano tech methane storage has nearly reached the energy density of liquid fuel. And because of the high efficiecy of solid oxide fuel cell/tubines (that don't use expensive elements like Platinum), 5 times that of an ICE, a plugin hybrid with this nano tech fuel storage will beat gas guzzlers all hollow on energy density. Look for methane powered airplanes soon.
You could do that with hydrogen, at least the nano tech storage part. But hydrogen fuel cells are built with Platinum, which is prohibitively expensive. And so does producing the hydrogen.
Methane is naturally ocurring and can also be derived from biogas, at a huge offset of GHG if it is made from waste.
