Jul 31, 2008

'Major discovery' from MIT primed to unleash solar revolution

Scientists mimic essence of plants' energy storage system

Anne Trafton, News Office
July 31, 2008

In a revolutionary leap that could transform solar power from a marginal, boutique alternative into a mainstream energy source, MIT researchers have overcome a major barrier to large-scale solar power: storing energy for use when the sun doesn't shine.

Daniel Nocera describes new process for storing solar energy
View video post on MIT TechTV

Until now, solar power has been a daytime-only energy source, because storing extra solar energy for later use is prohibitively expensive and grossly inefficient. With today's announcement, MIT researchers have hit upon a simple, inexpensive, highly efficient process for storing solar energy.

Requiring nothing but abundant, non-toxic natural materials, this discovery could unlock the most potent, carbon-free energy source of all: the sun. "This is the nirvana of what we've been talking about for years," said MIT's Daniel Nocera, the Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy at MIT and senior author of a paper describing the work in the July 31 issue of Science. "Solar power has always been a limited, far-off solution. Now we can seriously think about solar power as unlimited and soon."

Inspired by the photosynthesis performed by plants, Nocera and Matthew Kanan, a postdoctoral fellow in Nocera's lab, have developed an unprecedented process that will allow the sun's energy to be used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gases. Later, the oxygen and hydrogen may be recombined inside a fuel cell, creating carbon-free electricity to power your house or your electric car, day or night.

The key component in Nocera and Kanan's new process is a new catalyst that produces oxygen gas from water; another catalyst produces valuable hydrogen gas. The new catalyst consists of cobalt metal, phosphate and an electrode, placed in water. When electricity -- whether from a photovoltaic cell, a wind turbine or any other source -- runs through the electrode, the cobalt and phosphate form a thin film on the electrode, and oxygen gas is produced.

Combined with another catalyst, such as platinum, that can produce hydrogen gas from water, the system can duplicate the water splitting reaction that occurs during photosynthesis.

The new catalyst works at room temperature, in neutral pH water, and it's easy to set up, Nocera said. "That's why I know this is going to work. It's so easy to implement," he said.

'Giant leap' for clean energy

Sunlight has the greatest potential of any power source to solve the world's energy problems, said Nocera. In one hour, enough sunlight strikes the Earth to provide the entire planet's energy needs for one year.

James Barber, a leader in the study of photosynthesis who was not involved in this research, called the discovery by Nocera and Kanan a "giant leap" toward generating clean, carbon-free energy on a massive scale.

"This is a major discovery with enormous implications for the future prosperity of humankind," said Barber, the Ernst Chain Professor of Biochemistry at Imperial College London. "The importance of their discovery cannot be overstated since it opens up the door for developing new technologies for energy production thus reducing our dependence for fossil fuels and addressing the global climate change problem."

'Just the beginning'

Currently available electrolyzers, which split water with electricity and are often used industrially, are not suited for artificial photosynthesis because they are very expensive and require a highly basic (non-benign) environment that has little to do with the conditions under which photosynthesis operates.
 
More engineering work needs to be done to integrate the new scientific discovery into existing photovoltaic systems, but Nocera said he is confident that such systems will become a reality.
 
"This is just the beginning," said Nocera, principal investigator for the Solar Revolution Project funded by the Chesonis Family Foundation and co-Director of the Eni-MIT Solar Frontiers Center. "The scientific community is really going to run with this."

Nocera hopes that within 10 years, homeowners will be able to power their homes in daylight through photovoltaic cells, while using excess solar energy to produce hydrogen and oxygen to power their own household fuel cell. Electricity-by-wire from a central source could be a thing of the past.

The project is part of the MIT Energy Initiative, a program designed to help transform the global energy system to meet the needs of the future and to help build a bridge to that future by improving today's energy systems. MITEI Director Ernest Moniz, Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems, noted that "this discovery in the Nocera lab demonstrates that moving up the transformation of our energy supply system to one based on renewables will depend heavily on frontier basic science."
 
The success of the Nocera lab shows the impact of a mixture of funding sources - governments, philanthropy, and industry. This project was funded by the National Science Foundation and by the Chesonis Family Foundation, which gave MIT $10 million this spring to launch the Solar Revolution Project, with a goal to make the large scale deployment of solar energy within 10 years.

UK: What's New from BERR

31 July 2008: Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2008

The Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics 2008 is published today (Thursday 31 July) by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. Included with the Digest this year is the popular booklet “UK Energy in Brief, and the Energy Flow Chart.

Data for 2007 in Energy Consumption in the United Kingdom are also released on 31 July, on the internet. This publication brings together statistics from a variety of sources, providing a comprehensive review of energy consumption in the UK since the 1970s.

In addition, UK Energy Sector Indicators are also released on 31 July.

24 July 2008: Severn tidal power feasibility study: List of proposals published

A list of 10 proposed projects that could provide clean, green energy from the tide in the Severn Estuary is being considered. The list has been published at an event to discuss the progress of the feasibility study in Cardiff attended by organisations such as environmental groups, local businesses and councils.

23 July 2008: National Nuclear Lab given green-light

Business Secretary John Hutton today confirmed the Government will establish a National Nuclear Laboratory, and launch a competition to appoint a commercial operator to run the organisation.

22 July 2008: Draft criteria and process for siting potential new nuclear power stations published

The detailed criteria and process for assessing where new nuclear power stations could safely and securely be built across England and Wales have been set out by the Government today.

The consultation on the Strategic Siting Assessment outlines the process the Government will use for identifying suitable sites for new nuclear power stations. The Government is proposing to invite third parties to nominate sites which it will then assess against a range of criteria.

21 July 2008: North East set to be manufacturing hub for offshore wind

Expansion in offshore wind could create up to 30,000 new jobs in manufacturing and bring £3 billion of investment to the North East, Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks will say during a visit to Gateshead and Northumberland.

17 July 2008: Report highlights energy progress

BERR publishes the fifth annual report on progress towards the goals of the 2003 Energy White Paper today.

Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks said: "In the 2003 White Paper, we identified energy security and climate change as two of our key policy challenges. Five years on, these issues have emerged as among the foremost challenges of the 21st century for governments around the world.

"The goals set out in the 2003 White Paper are still entirely valid, and this annual report sets out our progress against them. Five years on, of course, we have also built on those goals, not least through the 2007 Energy White Paper, and in many areas we are going further and faster."

The full goals were (and remain): reducing carbon emissions, ensuring reliability of supply, maintaining competitive markets and combating fuel poverty.

Jul 21, 2008

Tired of high electricity, try your own wind generator, Oklahoma

Added by Alisa at 12:55pm on July 23rd, 2008

While T. Boone Pickens may be investing $11 billion in wind energy, individuals can also invest...on a much smaller scale...in the backyard.

Jul 19, 2008

Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford

Jeff Koseff (left) and Buzz Thompson
Perry L. McCarty Directors of the Woods Institute

The Woods Institute
Imagine a world where:
  • Energy is readily available and is consumed efficiently, cleanly, and wisely, as greenhouse gas emissions fall and global warming slows.
  • Agriculture provides sufficient food to feed the world's population without harming the planet, and landowners find it profitable to adopt conservation measures that help preserve biodiversity.
  • Oceans and estuaries are healthy and teeming with life, contributing to a stable atmosphere and supporting a rich array of human uses.
  • Everyone has access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

At the Woods Institute for the Environment, we are bringing together the brightest minds to create practical solutions for people and the planet:

  • Solutions: Woods is playing an important role in actively helping public and private leaders find workable solutions to the sustainability challenges they face. The institute is able to serve as a neutral convener, working effectively with diverse organizations in seeking solutions. At the same time, the university's substantive research and expertise provide a basis for focusing discussions that avoid traditional polarization.
  • Interdisciplinary Research: Today's environmental challenges are too complex to solve by traditional approaches alone, so we must work on far broader interdisciplinary scales than we ever have. More than 340 faculty and research professionals from across all seven Stanford schools, plus independent labs and centers, conduct environmental research; of those, nearly 100 are involved directly with the Woods Institute.
  • Education & Leadership. Woods Institute offers unique opportunities in environmental education and leadership training in critical areas for environmental scholars and researchers at Stanford and other universities, agencies, and organizations.

This is an exciting time! We invite you to learn more about the Woods Institute and to participate as we seek to create a sustainable world for us all, now and in the future.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey R. Koseff
Perry L. McCarty Director of the Woods Institute

Barton H. "Buzz" Thompson Jr.
Perry L. McCarty Director of the Woods Institute

Jul 13, 2008

Energy Crossroads at Stanford

Our Mission

Decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels is the defining challenge of our generation. Shifting geopolitical and environmental realities are creating a unique opportunity for a revolution in the way we produce, consume, and think about energy resources.

Meeting our energy challenge will require a coalition that includes policymakers in all levels of government, non-governmental organizations, engineers, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, academics, and student activists. Driven by their particular concerns for the environment, economic growth, and national security, there are a growing number of energy-oriented groups. Too often, these groups work in isolation unaware of each other’s presence, resources, and reach.

Energy Crossroads (EC) is a student organization at Stanford University that recognizes the potential of collective, cross-functional thought leadership in solving the escalating energy crisis. The vision of EC is to truly be a “crossroads” of all the disciplines and perspectives that encompass the growing energy issue. Our goal is to create as many opportunities as possible for the various disciplines of energy to interact, create, and learn together. We seek to foster a community in which today’s energy leaders strengthen their bonds with each other, and create new ones with the bright and innovative leaders of tomorrow.

Stanford is an ideal venue to convene these leaders, bringing together Silicon Valley’s technology and capital, Stanford faculty expertise, California’s green values, and a wealth of student leaders in policy, technology, and advocacy. Stanford has the resources, influence, and capacity to have a meaningful impact on our energy future.

Stanford 2008 Partners

Green Level Sponsors

11th Hour Project

Lightspeed Venture Partners

Vice Provost for Student Affairs

Silver Level Sponsors

Woods Institute for the Environment

Precourt Institute for Energy Efficiency

School of Earth Sciences

MAP

Bronze Level Sponsors

Freeman Spogli Institute

Student Group Partners

GRID Alternatives

Roosevelt Institution

Stanford Assoc. for Int'l Development

Stanford Environmental Consulting

Stanford GSB Energy Club

Students for a Sustainable Stanford

Jul 12, 2008

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT NUCLEAR ENERGY

by John McCarthy

This page discusses nuclear energy as a part of a more general discussion of why human material progress is sustainable and should be sustained. Energy is just one of the questions considered.

Up to: Main page on why progress is sustainable

Incidentally, I'm Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University, emeritus (means retired) as of 2001 January 1. Here's my main page. I write about sustainability as a volunteer public service. I am not professionally involved with nuclear energy.

Here's a new page on Nuclear Energy Now. It is motivated by the Bush Administration in the U.S. having tentatively re-opened the question of building new nuclear plants in the U.S. I hope they persist and are successful.

One of the major requirements for sustaining human progress is an adequate source of energy. The current largest sources of energy are the combustion of coal, oil and natural gas. These are discussed in the main page on energy. They will last quite a while but will probably run out or become harmful in tens to hundreds of years. Solar energy will also work but is not much developed yet except for special applications because of its high cost. This high cost as a main source, e.g. for central station electricity, is likely to continue, and nuclear energy is likely to remain cheaper. A major advantage of nuclear energy (and also of solar energy) is that it doesn't put carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. How much of an advantage depends on how bad the CO2 problem turns out to be.

Q. What are the details on nuclear energy?

A. It is somewhat complicated and depends on facts about nuclear physics and nuclear engineering.

(full)

Jul 2, 2008

Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Stephen Schneider Hails Tribal Snow Contributions

by Aria Munro 

PALO ALTO, Calif. — “I think it is wonderful that ski areas have been inviting the tribes back to ski and snowboard, which inspired them this winter to share their earth-honoring prayers and snowdances for all U.S. Ski Areas. It would be wise to further explore and expand such cross-fertilization,” said Stanford Climatologist Dr. Stephen Schneider, 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Winner as part of the Intergovernmental Panel for Change Climate (IPCC) team, who has been working with the Native Voices Foundation.

“Because large scale systems affect our complex weather, it is difficult to say which elements affect the precipitation outcome most, so one needs to work with all sides of the street. It would be foolish to dismiss anything that helps in this environmental crisis, especially if it costs almost nothing,” said the former skier.

Graduating Hawaiian and Maori Stanford FellowsProfessor Schneider has been chief writer on IPCC’s Team for 20 years, Aspen SkiCo’s consultant, Squaw Valley’s climate conference speaker, and Tom Brokaw’s expert on his HBO Global Warming Special. The Nobel Laureate bikes to work and uses natural household products as cancer and pollution prevention, given its link to glacier melting (ref: mindfully.org/Air/2003/Home-Chemicals-Smog9mar03.htm).

“What combination of practical and spiritual solutions might have contributed to ‘America’s record snow season,’ is not a matter of measurable science, but a matter of belief. Communities like Aspen Valley and this year, Arizona’s Snow Bowl, uniting to give good stewardship, along with group prayer, psychologically serves as a support system that gives the feeling of belonging and hope. So whatever you believe works, go for it,” he advises.

“Last year Stanford’s Woods Institute on the Environment, of which I am a Senior Fellow, launched an environmental exchange starting with the (NZ) Maori and Hawaiian tribes, which has expanded our understanding and way of working in more harmony with Nature,” said the professor. “That is why we are following the National Ski Areas Association’s lead in partnering with American Indian Elders to help ‘Keep Winters Cool,’ thanks to a meeting with a team from Native Voices Foundation (NVF),” he said...

Jul 1, 2008

EIO-LCA: Free, Fast, Easy Life Cycle Assessment

EIO-LCA:  Free, Fast, Easy Life Cycle Assessment

The Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment (EIO-LCA) method estimates the materials and energy resources required for, and the environmental emissions resulting from, activities in our economy.  The EIO-LCA method was theorized and developed by economist Wassily Leontief in the 1970s based on his earlier input-output work from the 1930s for which he received the Nobel Prize in Economics.  Researchers at the Green Design Institute of Carnegie Mellon University operationalized Leontief's method in the mid-1990s, once sufficient computing power was widely available to perform the large-scale matrix manipulations required in real-time.  This website takes the EIO-LCA method and transforms it into a user-friendly on-line tool to quickly and easily evaluate a commodity or service, as well as its supply chain.

Results from using the EIO-LCA on-line tool provide guidance on the relative impacts of different types of products, materials, services, or industries with respect to resource use and emissions throughout the supply chain.  Thus, the effect of producing an automobile would include not only the impacts at the final assembly facility, but also the impact from mining metal ores, making electronic parts, forming windows, etc. that are needed for parts to build the car. 

The EIO-LCA models available on the site apply the EIO-LCA method to various national and state economies.  Each model is comprised of national economic input-output models and publicly available resource use and emissions data.  Since its inception in 1995, the method has been applied to economic models of the United States for several different years, as well as Canada, Germany, Spain, and select US states.  The on-line tool has been accessed over 1 million times by researchers, LCA practitioners, business users, students, and others.  

Life cycle assessment, using the EIO-LCA method and on-line tool, as well as other LCA methods, is a major research focus for the Green Design Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.  Over the past 15 years, our group has investigated numerous products, services, and infrastructure systems using LCA as a fundamental component of analysis, becoming a leading research group in the field.  GDI researchers and students have produced numerous LCA studies using a wide range of LCA techniques resulting in over 100 publications on the topic.  

MIT recommends steps to slash gasoline use by 2035

MIT recommends steps to slash gasoline use by 2035

It's feasible—but challenging on many fronts

How much gasoline would the nation save in the year 2035 if lightweight hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles dominated the marketplace? More than 68 billion gallons, or about half the fuel currently used by today's vehicles.

Detailed analyses in a new MIT report demonstrate that such changes are feasible. Indeed, the report concludes that over the next 25 years the fuel consumption of new vehicles could be reduced by 30-50 percent and total U.S. fuel use for vehicles could be cut to 2000 levels, with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions cut by almost as much.

Accomplishing such changes will require not just developing improved and new engines, vehicles, and fuels but also convincing people that they don't need to buy bigger, faster cars. Each step will be difficult, yet all must be pursued with an equal sense of urgency.

"We've got to get out of the habit of thinking that we only need to focus on improving the technology—that we can invent our way out of this situation," said John B. Heywood, the Sun Jae Professor of Mechanical Engineering, who led the research. "We've got to do everything we can think of, including reducing the size of the task by real conservation."

Carefully crafted government policies will be needed to bring about this large-scale move away from business as usual, the researchers emphasize.

The new report, On the Road in 2035: Reducing Transportation's Petroleum Consumption and GHG Emissions, integrates five years' work by MIT teams examining different approaches to cutting transportation fuel use and emissions. Projects analyzed specific propulsion technologies, vehicle performance and design, market penetration rates for the various technologies, consumer expectations, new fuels, and potential policy measures.

Each project involved quantitative analysis of potential gains and when those gains might come. Integrating the studies allowed a broad system perspective. For example, teams calculated the fuel economy and emissions gains achievable with, say, hybrid technology. Then, using analyses of cost and consumer preferences, they projected how rapidly sales volumes of hybrids may build up and how much total U.S. gasoline consumption would decline as a consequence.

"That last task is very important because unless you've got lots and lots of vehicles with the better technology, the impact is limited," said Heywood. "The need to bring better technology into production and build up volume inevitably makes the time frames for technologies to make a difference long. Optimists want to move faster, but it's not clear we can really do it much faster."

Slashing transportation fuel use and GHG emissions by 2035 will require immediate action on several challenging fronts. The following steps are key.

For the near term (up to 15 years), we should increase our efforts to improve light-duty vehicle engines and transmissions, but all improvements must go towards reducing fuel efficiency rather than making cars bigger and faster. Also critical is reducing vehicle weight and size.

For the mid and long term (15-30 years, and more than 30 years), we should ramp up work on radically different technologies such as plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

We must also develop and market more environmentally benign fuels based on non-petroleum sources. For example, research on biofuels should continue. The US emphasis on corn-based ethanol is not obviously justifiable, but biofuels based on other feedstocks and conversion technologies should be pursued. In general, the use of biofuels will grow but not as fast as expected just a few years ago.

The final key is policy action. A coordinated set of regulatory and fiscal measures will be needed to push and pull improved technologies and greener alternative fuels into the market place in high volume. Measures should require auto manufacturers to make smaller, more-efficient cars, encourage consumers to choose those vehicles, and discourage everyone from driving so much.

Overall, the report shows that there are many opportunities for change. However, the challenges involved are enormous.

"Transitioning from our current situation onto a path with declining fuel consumption and emissions, even in the developed world, will take several decades—much longer than we had hoped or realized," said Heywood. "We've got to start now."

Other authors on the report are Anup Bandivadekar, MIT PhD 2008 (Engineering Systems Division, ESD); Kristian Bodek MS 2008 (Technology and Policy Program, TPP); Lynette Cheah, graduate student in ESD; Christopher Evans MS 2008 (TPP); Tiffany Groode PhD 2008 (Department of Mechanical Engineering); Emmanuel Kasseris, graduate student in Mechanical Engineering; Mathew Kromer MS 2007 (TPP); and Malcolm Weiss of the MIT Laboratory for Energy and the Environment. The authors are members of MIT's Sloan Automotive Laboratory, of which Heywood is director, and are involved in the MIT Energy Initiative.

The full report plus its predecessor On the Road in 2020 (published in 2000) and related theses, conference papers, journal articles, and news articles are available at the Fueling our Transportation Future website.

—Nancy Stauffer, MIT Energy Initiative

This research was supported by Concawe, Eni S.p.A., Environmental Defense, Ford Motor Company, the Alliance for Global Sustainability, the MIT-Portugal Program, and Shell Oil Company.