Inspired by photosynthesis in plants, Daniel Nocera and Matthew Kanan, researchers working under the MIT Energy Initiative have discovered a way to employ solar energy to provide 24/7 power cheaply, reliably and emissions-free.

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."

The process works like this. A solar panel collects energy (technically, any source will do), which is used to split oxygen and hydrogen from water. These, in turn, are fed into fuel cells that produce power even when the sun goes down. It sounds simple but the innovation comes from the new catalysts, which unlike expensive industrial electrolyzers, work under conditions safe enough for the average household.

The key component in Nocera and Kanan's new process is a new catalyst that produces oxygen gas from water; another catalyst produces valuable hydrogen gas. The new catalyst consists of cobalt metal, phosphate and an electrode, placed in water. When electricity -- whether from a photovoltaic cell, a wind turbine or any other source -- runs through the electrode, the cobalt and phosphate form a thin film on the electrode, and oxygen gas is produced.

Combined with another catalyst, such as platinum, that can produce hydrogen gas from water, the system can duplicate the water splitting reaction that occurs during photosynthesis.

The new catalyst works at room temperature, in neutral pH water, and it's easy to set up, Nocera said. "That's why I know this is going to work. It's so easy to implement," he said.

The bad news? Don't expect to see this system commercialized for at least 10 years. Still, exciting stuff! Click here for the MIT release and video of Daniel Nocera as he talks about the discovery.

[via Engadget]