At the risk of being the mean old engineer....how much energy does it take to produce enough nano particles of silicon to liberate a watt of energy?
Sad experience tells me the answer may something greater than a watt.
Sad experience and the laws of physics, Jim! Energy is liberated when hydrogen is oxidized. Therefore the same amount of energy is going to need to be added to split the hydrogen atoms back off the oxygen, presumably provided by some reaction involving the silicon, so you're exactly correct. To be fair, the developers aren't pitching this as "energy from nowhere" but simply as a potential way to transport energy derived from some existing source.
It will always cost more in than anything puts out.
The cost to drill, refine and produce gas is 80% and the engine then is only 20% efficient in the real world in terms of emery out.
Same with batteries. Why does a pack of batteries cost $10? Because it takes energy to make them.
No one is saying this new way to make fuel cells is “free” energy. But it would be DAMN convenient to carry this in place of a heavy battery or generator and “just add water” to make power.
If one of these cost $2,000 and I could carry it to a remote spot and or use it if TSHTF with just water, I would buy 2 of them!
A power generator than runs on WATER would be a gift of the gods especially if ITEOTWAWKI.
I don't think that's the point of it. The cost of the nanospheres will be much greater than the value of the resulting power in most civilian uses.
But I would imagine that silicon has an indefinitely-long shelf life, as does water. There are lots of military applications for something that can sit in a box for years, and then deliver reliable power on demand.