One more point. Nocera was making the same claims about "cheap" and "soon" in 2008. One added reasons for skepticism.
On Tue, Mar 29, 2011 at 11:12 PM, Gar Lipow <[email protected]> wrote: > The words "Daily Mail" don't arouse a great deal of confidence. . What > a quick Google shows it that Dr. Nocera claims that he has develped a > fuel cell that can split water into hydrogen and oxygen with about 10% > efficiency, cheaply, which would mean converting sunlight into > on-demand electricity with 3% to 6% net efficiency. That would indeed > be amazing. I'm not at all sure it is true, but if it were true there > would be better ways to use that than generation at the single home > level. In many, but not all, areas it would work quite well at the > block or neighborhood level. I'm skeptical that is really as close to > commercialization as though, let alone likely to be cheap. But not > impossible, and it would be nice if true. At any rate if it can do > what is claimed cheaply, we will be hearing more about it. Would not > hold my breath in the meantime. > > On Tue, Mar 29, 2011 at 11:06 AM, Jim Devine <[email protected]> wrote: >> >From SLATE: >> Artificial "Leaf" Could Power a House >> >> Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say they've >> developed an artificial leaf that produces energy ten times faster >> than natural photosynthesis. Thinner than a playing card and made from >> cheap materials, the leaf could create enough energy to heat one house >> for one day, says the Daily Mail. Although a scientist named John >> Turner created the first artificial energy producing leaf more than a >> decade ago, the MIT researchers' model is smaller, more powerful, and >> cheaper than Turner's template. Their success can be attributed to the >> recent discovery of several powerful, inexpensive catalysts made of >> nickel and cobalt. The Indian megafirm Tata Group has "forged a deal" >> with the lead researcher "to build a small power plant, the size of a >> refrigerator, in about a year and a half," writes Wired Science. >> >> Read original story in The Daily Mail >> [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1370839/Scientists-Holy-Grail-science-mastermind-worlds-artificial-leaf.html >> ] | Monday, March 28, 2011 >> >> -- >> Jim Devine / "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own >> way and let people talk.) -- Karl, paraphrasing Dante. >> _______________________________________________ >> pen-l mailing list >> [email protected] >> https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l >> > > > > -- > Facebook: Gar Lipow Twitter: GarLipow > Grist Blog: http://www.grist.org/member/1598 > Static page: http://www.nohairshirts.com > -- Facebook: Gar Lipow Twitter: GarLipow Grist Blog: http://www.grist.org/member/1598 Static page: http://www.nohairshirts.com _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
