Posted on 08/01/2008 7:52:39 PM PDT by neverdem
Catalysts work by reducing the energy of activation for any particular chemical reaction.
OMG! What a break through! Who would have ever imagined that you could break apart water into oxygen and hydrogen! The planet is saved!
I’m all for good news - assuming this turns out to be what they are making it out to be.
I don’t suspect liberals actually want there to be a viable alternative, however, as it would allow to still live where we want to live, travel where we want to travel, and do this when we want to do it.
I call BS!!! Peak electricity usage is at the hottest part of the day. Peak solar generation is at...you guessed it...the hottest part of the day.
When solar is meeting all of the peak demand from air conditioners running at the hottest part of the day, we can then worry about storing some of that power for later.
Wasn’t this an experiment in grade school general science, (back in the day), involving batteries and water? ;-)
Drill here! Drill now!
“...assuming this turns out to be what they are making it out to be.”
you noticed the last 4 words, too?
This is just the weekly “We’ve solved the problems with solar power” breakthrough announcement. Stay tune next week for the next solution that will save the world again...
MIT claims 24/7 solar power [more on new electrolysis claim] link to abstract
Catalyst heralded as solar-power breakthrough
Drugs turn 'couch potato' mice into long-distance runners
FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.
"This development would put the streams, rivers, lakes and oceans at increased risk."
Above soon to be a quote from Al Gore.
Thanks for the ping.
We are saved from "dirty oil and dirty coal!"
Let's pray they don't sell the technology to the Saudis ...
Sort of. But that was a very inefficient reaction, and it used electricity, this one uses sunlight directly, just like plants do.
And plants are, for the most part, where fossil fuel comes from. Energy from fossil fuel is stored sunlight. Thus it's really nuclear energy.
But still, this is some time off, how long is hard to know, even if it's everything it's cracked up to be, we'll still need oil and other fossil fuels to feed the petrochemical industry.
How else will they make the stock for my next several firearms?
Not if it used the sunlight directly rather than having to turn it into electricity first. That's got to be way more efficient. It's also what the now decayed plants that comprise crude oil did.
Actually not quite. Sunlight peaks when the sun is highest in the sky. That would be noon if not for daylight savings time and "time zones". So call it one o'clock, plus or minus a half hour. Peak temperatures are reached about 4 or 5, while peak air conditioning load is a bit later yet.
Ever hear of thermal inertia? The same effect occurs seasonally. The longest day is about 20 June, but the hottest days aren't until late July or early august.
I could write the partial differential equations that explain it, after consulting a text book (it's been a LONG time), but I don't think that would help you much.
Well, that settles it then!
Not only don’t we need to drill for more oil, we can stop pumping oil from active wells!
We’re saved!!! Obama and the Dems were right!
I'm Ok with your "Actually not quite" part. My comment is mostly still applicable. More power is needed in the daylight hours. Solar power is generated in daylight hours. It is a natural fit...and STILL is not economic.
As for the whole Diff Eqns not helping me much...I took a LOT of graduate level Physics and Math for my Engineering Master's Degree...I'm not as dumb as I post...
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