Major Discovery Primed To Unleash Solar Revolution

Excerpted from ScienceDaily (Aug. 1, 2008)

	The new, efficient oxygen catalyst in action in Dan Noceras laboratory at MIT. photo by MIT

In a revolutionary leap that could transform solar power from a marginal, boutique alternative into a mainstream energy source, MIT researchers have overcome a major barrier to large-scale solar power: Storing energy for use when the sun doesnt shine.

Until now, solar power has been a daytime-only energy source, because storing extra solar energy for later use is prohibitively expensive and grossly inefficient. With todays announcement, MIT researchers have hit upon a simple, inexpensive, highly efficient process for storing solar energy.

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 weve been talking about for years," said MITs 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. The key component is a new catalyst that produces oxygen gas from water.

"Solar power has always been a limited, far-off solution. Now we can seriously think about solar power as unlimited and soon."

Sunlight has the greatest potential of any power source to solve the worlds energy problems, said Nocera. In one hour, enough sunlight strikes the Earth to provide the entire planets energy needs for one year.

James Barber, a leader in the study of photosynthesis who was not involved in this research, called the discovery by Nocera and Kanan a "giant leap" toward generating clean, carbon-free energy on a massive scale.

"This is a major discovery with enormous implications for the future prosperity of humankind," said Barber, the Ernst Chain Professor of Biochemistry at Imperial College London.

"The importance of their discovery cannot be overstated since it opens up the door for developing new technologies for energy production thus reducing our dependence for fossil fuels and addressing the global climate change problem," Barber said.

To read the rest of this story, go to: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080731143345.htm.