New Developments in Harnessing Solar Energy

Boston Herald reported in this article that researchers at MIT have made another breakthrough in solar energy. In the past, it has been a very expensive proposition to store solar energy for use when the sun is not shining, however Daniel Nocera, and Matthew Kanan from MIT, have discovered, 'a way to use the sun's energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gases. With this technique, the oxygen and hydrogen may be recombined inside a fuel cell to create carbon-free electricity, which may be used to heat a home or light up a building.' As Nocera was quoted as saying 'This is the nirvana of what we've been talking about for years' In related news here are some interesting facts on solar energy as found in this article from Mckinsey Quarterly. - Solar energy is becoming more economically attractive as technologies improve and the cost of electricity generated by fossil fuels rises. - By 2020, hundreds of billions of dollars of investment capital will probably boost global solar-generating capacity 20 to 40 times higher than its current level.