Jennie&Tim on 1/8/2008 at 14:07
(
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080731143345.htm)
This would work at room temperature, at a neutral pH; and, with the already known hydrogen catalyst, could provide a relatively inexpensive way for people with photovoltaic panels to use them to store energy, batteries are too expensive to be practical. Thus, a homeowner could use the electricity from panels directly during the day, and store some as hydrogen and oxygen for use at night in a fuel cell. It's still in the research stage, they're estimating ten years to common use.
I wonder if it might be able to be used for an electric car too?
Anyway, fun!
frozenman on 1/8/2008 at 14:36
Are you trying to say that this is Martian technology being harnessed by mankind FINALLY?
Either way this sounds great. Hopefully in ten years instead of a stimulus check we can all get a solar panel or two and one these do-hickeys installed in our home.
Queue on 1/8/2008 at 23:30
Quote Posted by The_Raven
Funny that this article showed up just after I finished reading that NASA has finally found water on Mars.
The pictures of all the icy soil didn't tip them off? If it's a "permafrost" doesn't that by definition mean that there's some water lurking around there somewhere?
The_Raven on 1/8/2008 at 23:44
I read somewhere that the poles of Mars are dry ice.
Queue on 2/8/2008 at 00:01
Ah, I hadn't considered that (though it's a moot point now, since they proved it was water).
To be honest, I'm incredibly geeked over this. This may bring us one step closer to finally (FINALLY) saying: yes, there was life elsewhere in the universe--and they were the neighbors.
raevol on 2/8/2008 at 08:22
Quote Posted by Jennie&Tim
It's still in the research stage, they're estimating ten years to common use.
This is what always pisses me off about these things. Congratulations scientists, you discovered something that is completely useless until you discover how to make it useful? *clap clap*
It is cool though, I just wish it could be put into use
now, not in ten years.
addink on 2/8/2008 at 10:48
Though I applaud any improvements in this field of research, I do wonder why specifically this type of electrolysis is suddenly matched with the possibility of using electrolysis to store energy as hydrogen.
Back in high school we did electrolysis experiments and they were far from 'industrial', they were in fact extremely simple to set up.
I assume the amount of energy lost during conversion is seriously reduced with the new discovery. But the concept of storing energy as hydrogen is far from new, I've been a fan of the concept for quite some time now.
I always wondered why there weren't incentives to setup solar panel plants in the desert* that produce H<sub>2</sub>. I know the cost of solar panels are relatively high in the short term, but they hardly wear, in fact a lot of solar panels have guarantees that nearly match the time they are in production (20-30 years). So in the long term they should easily return the investment. And with the current energy prices that'll be even sooner.
*) There's one drawback with solarpanels and deserts, and that is that solarpanels work better when they're cooler, not something that most deserts are known for. Still, desert land is readily available in the world, and we hardly know what to do with it, so the cost of the land might well balance out the loss of efficiency.
Nicker on 3/8/2008 at 08:24
Quote Posted by shadowelven
This is what always pisses me off about these things. Congratulations scientists, you discovered something that is completely useless until you discover how to make it useful? *clap clap*
It is cool though, I just wish it could be put into use
now, not in ten years.
Yeah! When the guy who invented the wheel didn't invent the internal combustion engine at the same time, that really burned my britches!
Patience, Grasshopper. The transition from test-tube to industrial scale is one of many, careful steps.
I wonder if the catalyst increases the efficiency of the reaction compared to present methods, or if it just allows it to take place under more benign conditions. The article doesn't say yea so it's probably nay.
Jenesis on 4/8/2008 at 22:53
I thought we could already do this? Some polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells that work with oxygen and water can be run in reverse - put power in, and you get hydrogen on one side and oxygen on the other. Maybe this is just more efficient.
