'Major discovery' from MIT primed to unleash solar revolutio

[Juan_Bottom]

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/oxygen-0731.html


I found this to be Neat-O. And I know that some of you here will too.


"This is the nirvana of what we've been talking about for years"
AGREED!!!

[pancakemix]

Nifty.

[Nobunaga]

... That is cool.

... MIT, solar power revolutions and Black Jack. Gotta love it.

...

[GabonX]

Thats good but I still see rainy days as being a big problem. Good luck utilizing technology like this in places like London. Also, they're going to need to find a better catalyst than platinum.

[Neoteny]

Thats good but I still see rainy days as being a big problem. Good luck utilizing technology like this in places like London. Also, they're going to need to find a better catalyst than platinum.

That's kinda the idea behind storing power...

[GabonX]

Thats good but I still see rainy days as being a big problem. Good luck utilizing technology like this in places like London. Also, they're going to need to find a better catalyst than platinum.

That's kinda the idea behind storing power...

What, producing platinum? I must have missed the part about how they are gonna turn sunlight into the world's most valued metal.

Seriously though, even if they perfect this technology I can see it having severe limitations. Anywhere where there is prolonged time with minimal sunlight will have a problem with this unless they can store massive amounts of energy..


..What I don't understand is why they don't just hook the solar panels up to an alternator, use the energy to spin a fan, and store the energy that way. It may not be the most efficient way to store solar energy that is possible but it would definitely work and we could start building solar alternators now instead of possibly being able to store solar energy ten years into the future..

..and once again I'm smarter than everyone.

[Juan_Bottom]

Thats good but I still see rainy days as being a big problem. Good luck utilizing technology like this in places like London. Also, they're going to need to find a better catalyst than platinum.

That's kinda the idea behind storing power...

What, producing platinum? I must have missed the part about how they are gonna turn sunlight into the world's most valued metal.

Seriously though, even if they perfect this technology I can see it having severe limitations. Anywhere where there is prolonged time with minimal sunlight will have a problem with this unless they can store massive amounts of energy..


..What I don't understand is why they don't just hook the solar panels up to an alternator, use the energy to spin a fan, and store the energy that way. It may not be the most efficient way to store solar energy that is possible but it would definitely work and we could start building solar alternators now instead of possibly being able to store solar energy ten years into the future..

..and once again I'm smarter than everyone.

OH yeah? How about this Mr. Smarty,

The next sentence will be true.

The last sentance was false.

*GABONX's head explodes*

[Neoteny]

Thats good but I still see rainy days as being a big problem. Good luck utilizing technology like this in places like London. Also, they're going to need to find a better catalyst than platinum.

That's kinda the idea behind storing power...

What, producing platinum? I must have missed the part about how they are gonna turn sunlight into the world's most valued metal.

Seriously though, even if they perfect this technology I can see it having severe limitations. Anywhere where there is prolonged time with minimal sunlight will have a problem with this unless they can store massive amounts of energy..


..What I don't understand is why they don't just hook the solar panels up to an alternator, use the energy to spin a fan, and store the energy that way. It may not be the most efficient way to store solar energy that is possible but it would definitely work and we could start building solar alternators now instead of possibly being able to store solar energy ten years into the future..

..and once again I'm smarter than everyone.

Rainy days. That's the idea behind storing the power.

[bbqpenguin]

people have been haralding their scientific breakthroughs for years as revolutionary miracles that will solve all our problems and make us skinnier and more attractive while we're at it. this isn't the first groupd of scientists who've claimed a solar energy solution, but we're still at the point we're at for a reason. i remain skeptical but hopeful

[GabonX]

OH yeah? How about this Mr. Smarty,

The next sentence will be true.

The last sentance was false.

*GABONX's head explodes*

You spelled sentence wrong.

Rainy days, fucktard. That's the idea behind storing the power. You're barely smarter than a gerbil.

OK. First off the technology they are talking about doesn't exist currently, so it is only speculation as of yet. Second, there are places on this planet where it rains for months at a time and also where there is no sunlight for weeks or months. It would require massive storage of energy to enable the people who live in these places to utilize solar technology. I suggest you research scandinavian winters and "wet seasons" just about anywhere instead of flaming me about things that I'm right about.

It's kind of funny that the people on these forums who disagree with my political opinions decide to flame me instead of addressing my idea of solar alternators. The only problem with it, aside from the problems which would plague all solar technology, is that some of the energy would be lost in the process. The good news is that in the geographic areas where solar energy is a viable option, the sun delivers enough energy that we could stand to lose some and we would still have enough. It also doesn't require platinum.

The advantages of my idea over the ones presented here are as follows.
1. The technologies needed to create it already exist (instead of currently being science fiction)
2. We can begin production immediately
3. It doesn't require one of the rarest and most valuable substances on earth to use.

Despite all of this, even if solar technology is perfected it will still be impractical in many places.

P.S. Sorry for being such a "fucktard," it's just that I think it's better to be skeptical of technologies that don't yet exist and I don't subscribe to the "Bush is worse than Hitler cause John Stewart told me so!!!111" philosophy.

[Frigidus]

Sorry for being such a "fucktard," it's just that I think it's better to be skeptical of technologies that don't yet exist and I don't subscribe to the "Bush is worse than Hitler cause John Stewart told me so!!!111" philosophy.

Just to clarify, are you arguing that George Bush isn't a horrible president? Because I really haven't seen anything positive come out of his administration.

[Neoteny]

Please. The fucktard comment was a result of you either not reading my response or misunderstanding it. I wasn't talking about platinum, I was talking about weather. It has nothing to do with your political affiliation (which should have nothing to do with this) or fans.

Anyhow, solar power would be lovely because some of the most populated places in the world are in places where sun is prevalent. The reduction of power usage in these areas alone might be reason enough to investigate the technology. Or we could turn this into hopeless political naysaying. It's your choice.

[jonesthecurl]

Maybe I'm going senile, but I don't understand why you need one catalyst to get oxygen from water, and a different one to get hydrogen.

Surely when you take the oxygen out of the water you are left with hydrogen and vice versa?

I mean, unless I missed some basic science, water molecules are made from hydrogen and oxygen...and nothing else.

[Iliad]

Maybe I'm going senile, but I don't understand why you need one catalyst to get oxygen from water, and a different one to get hydrogen.

Surely when you take the oxygen out of the water you are left with hydrogen and vice versa?

I mean, unless I missed some basic science, water molecules are made from hydrogen and oxygen...and nothing else.

I'm thinking if you take the oxygen out it will be hard to contain hydrogen as it wil normally be waste. Just my assumption

[jonesthecurl]

Surely either catlyst will separate the water into two gases?

[got tonkaed]

While i would have to see some specs on any alternator (and probably some explanations of it)...it stands to reason that they arent being produced as of yet because they are too inefficent. It isnt like there isnt a lot of the pie to still be won if you can come up with the idea first, so since the technology is available as is, there still must be some fairly consequential design flaws for it not to be used in larger capacity.

Or perhaps the real limitations of current technology limit solar power more than most of us would have hoped or expected. Like Gabon says, it probably wouldnt work as effectively everywhere, however i dont see this as troubling. Part of a more comprehensive energy solution would seem to require areas that have greater capacity to produce energy to use the manner in which they will be most successful.

[tconrad]

Surely either catlyst will separate the water into two gases?

This does seem like it would be true. I am not certain about this but I think for whatever reason certain catalysis will only separate hydrogen or oxygen as a gas and will leave the leftovers (either H+ or OH-) in solution. For example I'm pretty sure you get hydrogen gas when you react an alkaline metal with water, but not oxygen gas.

The alkaline metal might be wrong but I know there is some reaction like that.