New PV Energy Storage Breakthrough ?

nigtomdaw
nigtomdaw Solar Expert Posts: 705 ✭✭
Came across this article this morning, the words simple and basic were included in its implimentation I was interesed , what do you think ?

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=53214

Comments

  • Solar Guppy
    Solar Guppy Solar Expert Posts: 1,989 ✭✭✭
    Re: New PV Energy Storage Breakthrough ?

    Complete BS,

    Battery's today out perform this "breakthru" ... The very best Fuel cells that convert Hydrogen to Electricity are about 45% efficient, battery are 80-90% efficicent at storing electric and are 1/1000th the cost.

    This Press release, like most of these "breakthrus" are about getting DOD or other federal funding, Mostly schools make some save the world press release and then some stiff's that have no technical knowledge give you a cool 50 million for more work ...

    Some stuff for futher reading The Myth of the Hydrogen Economy:

    http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the-hydrogen-hoax
    http://www.energybulletin.net/node/11963
    http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/081803_hydrogen_answers.html
  • nigtomdaw
    nigtomdaw Solar Expert Posts: 705 ✭✭
    Re: New PV Energy Storage Breakthrough ?

    Kool better come through with a Bull shit idea myself $50million would come in handy, but the only stiffs I know are burried or cremated:p
  • LBergman
    LBergman Solar Expert Posts: 42
    Re: New PV Energy Storage Breakthrough ?

    I think what they're trying to say is they found a more efficient method of electrolysis (one that doesn't eat up the electrodes and/or uses less energy to separate the water molecules?), but the article is rather poorly written with few details. I think I'll reserve my own judgment until I read the research paper itself, but I'm a little on the skeptical side myself at this point.
  • Chuck46
    Chuck46 Solar Expert Posts: 95
    Re: New PV Energy Storage Breakthrough ?

    Well I dont think its a viable idea yet, But the purpose is to have ideas and work towards solving our energy problem. This seems like one of those starts that leads to other developments. Its easy to be a nay sayer and doubter and point out the faults to the plan, but a lot harder to have the ideas and work them through to fail or succed.

    Chuck
  • LBergman
    LBergman Solar Expert Posts: 42
    Re: New PV Energy Storage Breakthrough ?

    This write-up seems to state things a little better:

    http://www.electricalengineer.com/index.php?option=com_zippynews&id=98&task=detailnews&cid=
  • Solar Guppy
    Solar Guppy Solar Expert Posts: 1,989 ✭✭✭
    Re: New PV Energy Storage Breakthrough ?

    Hydrogen is not an enegry source, its a carrier.

    With electrollis, it takes about 50% more electricty to split water into hydrogen/Oxygen than the resultant gases contain in energy. When a fuel cell is then used to reverse the process to make electricity, the end to end is a miserable 20-25% efficiency ... Batterys TODAY are 80-90% efficient

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolysis

    No where in either report is any claims to how much better this is than compared to todays technology or what the efficieny is. Further, the report indicates the researchs don't actually know why
    Despite the straightforward experimental setup, the exact mechanism driving the reactions is still unknown

    As for the MIT folks durmming up $$$, its pretty obvious that there is a reaction to the chemicals and they are adding energy for the process, which doesn't mean the process is more efficient, just one needs to add more stuff for the process that would have to be consumed and replaced

    Since Hydrogen is NOT a souce of energy, at best this could improve efficiency to the H20 -> H conversion, but even if perfect, you still only going to get 80% , which offers no benift at all, none.
  • boB
    boB Solar Expert Posts: 1,030 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: New PV Energy Storage Breakthrough ?

    That one NY Times article talks more about separating out the Oxygen that it does hydrogen.... And I think it called both of those "fuels"

    Weird...

    I'll just stick to batteries for now.

    bob:D
  • nigtomdaw
    nigtomdaw Solar Expert Posts: 705 ✭✭
    Re: New PV Energy Storage Breakthrough ?

    OK batteries still seem a solid investment, but one day hopefully soon some bright spark will have an itch when scratched takes us down a cheaper alternative to the accepted if looked after robust technology of batteries, maybe maple syrup and alluminium oxide.....can I have my $50,000,000 now please:D