The sun is one-stop shopping when it comes to finding an unlimited supply of power. But harnessing light and turning it into electricity has proven to be a tricky and expensive proposition.
But if we could squeeze our huge thirst for power from the sun, one way to go may be something called “solar chemical“.
It uses a chemical process to break the bonds of molecules like water or carbon dioxide in order to create a solar fuel. Using solar energy to turn a greenhouse gas like carbon dioxide into electricity and fuel would be a simple way capture that nuisance greenhouse gas and create a clean fuel at the same time.
Some people, including Bill Gates, are suggesting more funding for basic solar chemical research as one way to solve the ever present solar storage problem.
