A team from Ohio State University, led by chemistry professor Claudia Torro, has developed a method to synthesize hydrogen from sunlight.
The process uses a rhodium molecule as a catalyst to store electrons and produce hydrogen. "What makes it work is that the system is able to place the molecule in an excited state, where it absorbs the photon and is able to store two electrons to produce hydrogen," said Torro. "Simply put, we are capturing energy from sunlight and storing it in chemical bonds so that it can be used later."
The hydrogen production industry is growing at an accelerated rate. Last year alone, there was a 40% increase in shipments, bringing total energy production to 1.1 GW.
Given the limitations of lithium-ion batteries, alternatives in the storage field will become increasingly vital to the future of renewable energy. In the words of Lancaster University professor David Antonelli, who developed a technique for cheaper hydrogen fuel tanks last year: "The cost of manufacturing our material is so low and the energy density it can store is much higher than a lithium-ion battery, that we could see hydrogen fuel cell systems that cost five times less than lithium-ion batteries, [...] providing a much greater range — potentially enabling travel of around four or five times further between refuelling stops."
The ability to produce hydrogen more cheaply from solar energy could strongly impact energy production methods, generating a commercial abundance of clean energy sources.
Text by Peter Diamandis