New Way To Produce Fuel From The Sun

Mankind has known for a long time that one of the best sources of energy is the Sun.   It powers the world and has done so since the earth was formed.   The problem for mankind has been to capture that energy and use it as we see fit.   Solar panels have been developed and are in use, but the energy from them cannot be bottled and transported to some other location -- it must be used where it is collected and can only be saved for a short period of time (like with batteries).

But researchers in the United States and Switzerland may be on the way to solving that problem.   They have invented a solar machine (pictured above) which uses the Sun's energy to create a fuel that can be stored and transported.

The machine has a chamber filled with ceria (cerium oxide) -- which is readily available as the most abundant of the "rare earth" metals.   Water or carbon dioxide is pumped into the ceria chamber and is heated by the Sun's rays.   The product is either hydrogen, or a combination of hydrogen and carbon monoxide which can be used to make a synthetic fuel.   Either way, the product can be stored and transported.

So far, they are only harnessing about 0.8% of the solar energy taken into the chamber.   But scientists say with a smaller aperture and better insulation they believe they can get that up to at least 19%.   That could make the process very viable, especially if a low carbon-use policy is adopted (as is needed to avoid global climate change).

This is very exciting news, and it's just the kind of innovation that is needed.   Even if a low-carbon policy is not quickly adopted, we are probably at or near peak oil production (the point at which production starts to fall no matter how much new drilling is done).   Thank goodness at least a few scientists are thinking about the future -- even if governments are not.