Artificial Photosynthesis using catalyst panels. Promising or another dead end?

[PimTac]

I saw this program on NHK last night. It does seem intriguing. Japan is researching this for hydrogen production.

Artificial Photosynthesis: A Game Changer for Clean Energy - Science View | NHK WORLD-JAPAN On Demand

Artificial photosynthesis, the next-generation technology, has now come this far! It is a technology that mimics plant photosynthesis to produce energy from resources found on earth such as sunlight and carbon dioxide. This is a promising new solution to energy and environmental problems as it...

www3.nhk.or.jp

 

[Cujet]

There are some crazy claims about artificial photosynthesis. Like 20+ percent efficiency. The theoretical maximum is just over 10%, if I remember correctly, due to the energy content of the light involved. Knowing what I don't know and tempering that with today's unsubstantiated and wild claims, I am going to go way out on a limb and predict that using nuclear power to achieve our goals is a much more reasonable approach.

Artificial photosynthesis - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Covering the globe with panels of any sort, makes zero sense to me.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Science is important. Innovation is important. You gotta go down 1000 roads to maybe find one that leads somewhere.
Take a risk. Stop being safe. Do something different. Different, better, worse all require change.
I salute science and innovation.

 

[PimTac]

There are some crazy claims about artificial photosynthesis. Like 20+ percent efficiency. The theoretical maximum is just over 10%, if I remember correctly, due to the energy content of the light involved. Knowing what I don't know and tempering that with today's unsubstantiated and wild claims, I am going to go way out on a limb and predict that using nuclear power to achieve our goals is a much more reasonable approach.

Artificial photosynthesis - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Covering the globe with panels of any sort, makes zero sense to me.

What caught my attention was the use of catalysts instead of PV panels. You can actually see the hydrogen bubbles being made. They are able to separate the CO2 out and reuse it again in the process to make more hydrogen.

I don’t know the scale of this but if buildings can incorporate these catalyst panels in their construction then that should increase the production

Of course, Japan is going all in on the hydrogen bandwagon. They already have hydrogen ships and trains along with cars. Maybe it’s a roll of the dice but I do like the idea of energy that is clean.

 

[PandaBear]

I really don't know why Japan has that hydrogen obsession. It is a cool research but I am not sure if it will be practical in the end (I was a huge bio-fuel supporter in the past). If anything artificial photosynthesis may give us sugar or oil, that we can use to create food and chemical feed stock, instead of .... hydrogen, and turn back into water in a fuel cell?

 

[Cujet]

What caught my attention was the use of catalysts instead of PV panels. You can actually see the hydrogen bubbles being made. They are able to separate the CO2 out and reuse it again in the process to make more hydrogen.

I don’t know the scale of this but if buildings can incorporate these catalyst panels in their construction then that should increase the production

Of course, Japan is going all in on the hydrogen bandwagon. They already have hydrogen ships and trains along with cars. Maybe it’s a roll of the dice but I do like the idea of energy that is clean.

Hydrogen is an incredibly energy dense fuel, by weight. It also seem like there are ways to store compressed hydrogen that are at least somewhat effective, possibly on par with storing compressed natural gas. Unfortunately, there are major drawbacks. Like leaks everywhere, all the time, as hydrogen is among the smallest of atoms.

 

[Cujet]

Sounding like the old man that I am, "Just because we can, does not mean we should".

It may be that hydrocarbon fuels are simply far easier to deal with, while still providing adequate energy density and clean emissions with treatment.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Sounding like the old man that I am, "Just because we can, does not mean we should".

It may be that hydrocarbon fuels are simply far easier to deal with, while still providing adequate energy density and clean emissions with treatment.

That's not who you are and that's not what you believe.