Academies Play Catch Up With New (old) Technologies

Monday, August 04, 2008

In this videolink HERE,
http://newsoffice.techtv.mit.edu/file/1243/
a Massachussetts Institute Of Technology professor, Dan Nocera, explains how he has 'discovered' a technology which will transform the way we receive energy into our homes. No need for centrally generated electricity any more, he says. The sun will be used to produce electricity which will be used with a catalyst to produce hydrogen and oxygen from water.

These will be stored and in turn be used to create electricity on demand by the use of a fuel cell.

It's funny how the technos are scambling to catch up with what's been happening in garden sheds and garages across the globe for a while now. People are powering their cars by splitting water into its component gases - hydrogen and oxygen. These gases derived from water by electrolysis are being used to create energy in internal combustion engines, and also being used for heating homes.

The poor guy in the video is trying to stop the credit for the technological breakthroughs escaping his learned institution as ordinary Joes are already making good money out by saving fuel all over the place, and have been doing so for a while. (splitting water by using electricity with a catalyst has been known about since 1895).

There is no need to use solar power to derive the electricity to split the water even, as that is expensive to install. Water-splitting is a power multiplier even if you start with electricity out of a plug.

The problem this guy doesn't mention is how will he store the hydrogen in peoples' homes as he hopes to do. That too is very expensive and not easy. The best alternative is to split water into hydrogen and oxygen as you need power or heat, and burn them immediately. Never mind about the photovoltaic solar cells, storing hydrogen and oxygen gases, and the use of fuel cells. That's all just to keep his colleagues in a job.

The only 'new' discovery is that splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen creates energy - and yet that's already been around over 100 years. It's only because gasoline was so cheap that no one bothered with it. It's economics, professor - not technology - that is the new factor. But yes, that won't bring in the $10 million grants you guys live on. We understand. You have to try to make it sound complicated and expensive.

Meanwhile the world will be getting on with powering itself the cheapest way it can -just as it always did. And I am just as sure that professors will still be trying to pull big grants for more 'research', just like bears shit in the woods. Trouble is, with energy right now, guys like this professor are wasting our time, and we need to get on with it.
Posted by tapestry at 2:56 AM