www.merid.org
5/17/2010
A new study, conducted by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States, has shown that solar panels coated with a newly developed and inexpensive metal catalyst, comprised of nickel and borate, could become a cheap source of solar energy for the developing world. The new catalyst, used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen using sunlight, could be used instead of cobalt, which is more expensive. Conventional photovoltaic and battery systems already in use in developing countries have limited storage capacity.
According to Mircea Dincă, a researcher at MIT and lead author of the study, "One of the main problems with solar energy is using it at night. With our device you use the solar energy you get during the day to electrolyse water [break it down to oxygen and hydrogen], store the hydrogen, then consume it later." The other advantage, says Dincă, is that the catalyst works with dirty water and could even purify it for drinking. "In developing countries you don't normally have access to very pure water," he said. "Our catalysts work with water taken from rivers and this is something that hasn't been shown before."
The team is testing the new catalyst for commercial value and hope to bring the technology to the developing world as soon as possible. Their research was recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The article can be viewed online at the link below.
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