ENERGY SPECIAL
Solar panels light the way from carbon dioxide to fuel
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Research to curb global
warming caused by rising levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases, such as
carbon dioxide, usually involves three areas: Developing alternative energy
sources, capturing and storing greenhouse gases, and repurposing excess
greenhouse gases. Drawing on two of these approaches, researchers in the
laboratory of Andrew Bocarsly, a Princeton professor of chemistry,
collaborated with start-up company Liquid Light Inc. of Monmouth Junction,
N.J. to devise an efficient method for harnessing sunlight to convert carbon
dioxide into a potential alternative fuel known as formic acid. The study was
published June 13 in the Journal of CO2 Utilization.
The transformation from
carbon dioxide and water to formic acid was powered by a commercial solar panel
generously provided by the energy company PSE&G that can be found atop
electric poles across the state. The process takes place inside an
electrochemical cell, which consists of metal plates the size of rectangular
lunch-boxes that enclose liquid-carrying channels.
To maximize the efficiency
of the system, the amount of power produced by the solar panel must match the
amount of power the electrochemical cell can handle, said Bocarsly. This
optimization process is called impedance matching. By stacking three
electrochemical cells together, the research team was able to reach almost 2%
energy efficiency, which is twice the efficiency of natural photosynthesis.
It is also the best energy efficiency reported to date using a human-made
device.
A number of energy companies
are interested in storing solar energy as formic acid in fuel cells.
Additionally, formate salt is the preferred de-icing agent on airplane
runways because it is less corrosive to planes and safer for the environment
than chloride salts. With increased availability, formate salts could
supplant more harmful salts in widespread use. Using waste carbon dioxide and
easily obtained machined parts, this approach offers a promising route to a
renewable fuel, Bocarsly said.
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Saturday, July 19, 2014
ENERGY SPECIAL ...................Solar panels light the way from carbon dioxide to fuel
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