July 31st, 2008
Is this the start of a true green revolution? Synthetic photosynthesis!
Read all about it. MIT professor and a fellow researcher say they’ve duplicated the process of photosynthesis and can create synthetic leaves. That means sunlight turned into hydrogen and oxygen for fuel cells, or other energy applications.
One possible drawback to this experimental process: it uses platinum as a catalyst. And we know about platinum prices, make gold look cheap. But this could be the great technological leap forward for the energy sector.
Here’s part of the MIT press release on the research findings: “Requiring nothing but abundant, non-toxic natural materials, this discovery could unlock the most potent, carbon-free energy source of all: the sun. ‘This is the nirvana of what we’ve been talking about for years,’ said MIT’s Daniel Nocera, the Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy at MIT and senior author of a paper describing the work in the July 31 issue of Science. ‘Solar power has always been a limited, far-off solution. Now we can seriously think about solar power as unlimited and soon’.”
A newsman since 1969, Harry Fuller has worked for CBS, ABC, CNBC Europe, CNET and was founding news director at TechTV. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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