Photosynthesis:
(1) Splits H2O into hydrogen and oxygen, then
(2) Joins that hydrogen to CO2 to produce sugar
Dr. Nocera's device does the first part, using sunlight to directly split H2O. This is a more useful process than directly producing electricity, since the hydrogen and oxygen can be stored until needed and used to drive a fuel cell.
this could be to the electric grid what the car was to the railroads. One of the biggest problems with green energy has been storage. when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t sun what then? With this if it is cheap enough the making of O2 and H2 could power the home. fuel cells have been stymied because of the lack of a H2 market. If the H2 become easy for a private person to make and use. It could be a new day. now they will have to design compact storage tanks for H2 or a way to compress the gas. safety concerns will also be a big deal. But if sunlight can make H2 and O2 cheaply the entire world as we know it has just changed...