Researchers claim hydrogen energy advance | Alternative Energy | Forums

A A A
Avatar
Search

— Forum Scope —






— Match —





— Forum Options —





Minimum search word length is 3 characters - maximum search word length is 84 characters

Lost password?
sp_Feed F-Alternative-Energy
Researchers claim hydrogen energy advance
Avatar
K
Admin
Forum Posts: 31782
Member Since:
15 Feb ’12
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
1
12 Sep ’14 - 10:05 am
sp_Permalink sp_Print

I still think hydrogen fuel cells are the direction we need to go

Researchers at Glasgow University have claimed a breakthrough in producing hydrogen fuel from water.

They said their process is fast, clean and cheap. It can store energy from the sun and wind.

Writing in the journal Science, the Glasgow researchers said their process is thirty times faster than the current method.

Without using any more energy, it is claimed to store the hydrogen in a carbon-free liquid.

Prof Lee Cronin, of the university's School of Chemistry. said: "The process uses a liquid that allows the hydrogen to be locked up in a liquid-based inorganic fuel.

"By using a liquid sponge known as a redox mediator that can soak up electrons and acid we've been able to create a system where hydrogen can be produced in a separate chamber without any additional energy input after the electrolysis of water takes place.

"The link between the rate of water oxidation and hydrogen production has been overcome, allowing hydrogen to be released from the water 30 times faster than the leading PEME process on a per-milligram-of-catalyst basis."

http://www.bbc.com/n.....s-29168382

Avatar
K
Admin
Forum Posts: 31782
Member Since:
15 Feb ’12
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
2
27 Sep ’14 - 11:15 am
sp_Permalink sp_Print

nice

26.09.14 - Today, the journal Science published the latest development in Michael Grätzel’s laboratory at EPFL: producing hydrogen fuel from sunlight and water. By combining a pair of solar cells made with a mineral called perovskite and low cost electrodes, scientists have obtained a 12.3 percent conversion efficiency from solar energy to hydrogen, a record using earth-abundant materials as opposed to rare metals.

The race is on to optimize solar energy’s performance. More efficient silicon photovoltaic panels, dye-sensitized solar cells, concentrated cells and thermodynamic solar plants all pursue the same goal: to produce a maximum amount of electrons from sunlight. Those electrons can then be converted into electricity to turn on lights and power your refrigerator.

 At the Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces at EPFL, led by Michael Grätzel, where scientists invented dye solar cells that mimic photosynthesis in plants, they have also developed methods for generating fuels such as hydrogen through solar water splitting. To do this, they either use photoelectrochemical cells that directly split water into hydrogen and oxygen when exposed to sunlight, or they combine electricity-generating cells with an electrolyzer that separates the water molecules.

 By using the latter technique, Grätzel’s post-doctoral student Jingshan Luo and his colleagues were able to obtain a performance so spectacular that their achievement is being published today in the journal Science. Their device converts into hydrogen 12.3 percent of the energy diffused by the sun on perovskite absorbers – a compound that can be obtained in the laboratory from common materials, such as those used in conventional car batteries, eliminating the need for rare-earth metals in the production of usable hydrogen fuel.

Bottled sun
This high efficiency provides stiff competition for other techniques used to convert solar energy. But this method has several advantages over others:

"Both the perovskite used in the cells and the nickel and iron catalysts making up the electrodes require resources that are abundant on Earth and that are also cheap,” explained Jingshan Luo. “However, our electrodes work just as well as the expensive platinum-based models customarily used."
On the other hand, the conversion of solar energy into hydrogen makes its storage possible, which addresses one of the biggest disadvantages faced by renewable electricity—the requirement to use it at the time it is produced.

 "Once you have hydrogen, you store it in a bottle and you can do with it whatever you want to, whenever you want it," said Michael Grätzel. Such a gas can indeed be burned – in a boiler or engine – releasing only water vapor. It can also pass into a fuel cell to generate electricity on demand. And the 12.3% conversion efficiency achieved at EPFL "will soon get even higher," promised Grätzel.

More powerful cells
These high efficiency values are based on a characteristic of perovskite cells: their ability to generate an open circuit voltage greater than 1 V (silicon cells stop at 0.7 V, for comparison).
“A voltage of 1.7 V or more is required for water electrolysis to occur and to obtain exploitable gases,” explained Jingshan Luo. To get these numbers, three or more silicon cells are needed, whereas just two perovskite cells are enough. As a result, there is more efficiency with respect to the surface of the light absorbers required. “This is the first time we have been able to get hydrogen through electrolysis with only two cells!" Luo adds.

 The profusion of tiny bubbles escaping from the electrodes as soon as the solar cells are exposed to light say it better than words ever could: the combination of sun and water paves a promising and effervescent way for developing the energy of the future.

http://actu.epfl.ch/.....rare-meta/

Avatar
farmboy2
Rancher
Members
Forum Posts: 1243
Member Since:
4 Mar ’12
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
3
27 Sep ’14 - 3:09 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print

two words

Stanley Meyer

Avatar
spotted-horses
Rancher
Members
Forum Posts: 1272
Member Since:
11 Mar ’12
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
4
27 Sep ’14 - 3:24 pm
sp_Permalink sp_Print

While driving past a very industrial area of WV, that I have traveled many times, I saw a new sign on a plant! hydrogen!

Be RADICAL Grow Food

Avatar
K
Admin
Forum Posts: 31782
Member Since:
15 Feb ’12
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
5
28 Sep ’14 - 7:32 am
sp_Permalink sp_Print

gw99 said
two words

Stanley Meyer

Forum Timezone: America/New_York

Most Users Ever Online: 698

Currently Online:
82 Guest(s)

Currently Browsing this Page:
1 Guest(s)

Top Posters:

easytapper: 2149

DangerDuke: 2030

groinkick: 1667

PorkChopsMmm: 1515

Gravel Road: 1455

Newest Members:

Forum Stats:

Groups: 1

Forums: 12

Topics: 11482

Posts: 58640

 

Member Stats:

Guest Posters: 2

Members: 19842

Moderators: 0

Admins: 1

Administrators: K