New Solar Cell Can Effectively Generate Hydrogen From Water

February 18, 2008. I’m always on the look out for clean, efficient alternatives to harvesting hydrogen, compared to the energy-intensive options currently available. You see, if the hydrogen economy will one day become a reality, we’re not going to want coal-fired plants providing the energy to create the fuel to run these clean, green cars. Currently, for every kilogram of hydrogen produced, 9.3 kilograms of carbon dioxide are also created. No good.

Some Penn State researchers announced today that they’ve created a solar cell that can effectively split water to harvest the hydrogen. There’s quite a large amount of technical detail in the ‘how’, but the researchers expect an efficiency level of about 15%. The odd thing about this ‘discovery’ is that we’ve written about it before. In fact, a company by the name of Nanoptek recently released details on a “low-cost, durable titania electrode that can split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.” A space 50 feet by 50 feet on a sunny roof could provide enough surface area for a Nanoptek hydrogen generator to supply enough energy for a family of four. They’ve already got $4.7 million in the bank to continue research. More >>>