Feb
10
Solar System for Biomass Makes Syngas
February 10, 2015 | Leave a Comment
University of Minnesota researchers’ new study examining the financial viability of solar-heated biomass gasification technologies that produce a natural gas substitute product shows how combining these renewable resources can make economic sense. Now, even at historically low natural gas prices, bioenergy may not be out of the market mix. The current technology situation in traditional […]
Nov
27
Happy Thoughts for Thanksgiving Day
November 27, 2014 | 5 Comments
Seven years in for this energy and fuel webblog lends a certain appreciation for what has happened. Looking back to 2007 can be instructive on our progress. Out in front, to no particular surprise, is the oil and gas industry. Especially the free world’s private energy companies. Back in ’07, “Oil and gas looked to […]
Feb
26
Solar Efficiently Drives Hydrogen From New H2O Splitter
February 26, 2013 | Leave a Comment
Researchers at the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) have developed an efficient, autonomous solar water-splitting device. The new idea is based on a gold nanorod array where essentially all charge carriers involved in the oxidation and reduction steps arise from the hot electrons resulting from the excitation of surface plasmons in the nanostructured gold […]
Nov
21
Split Out Hydrogen with Gold and Sunshine
November 21, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Stony Brook University Assistant Professor of Materials Science & Engineering Alexander Orlov, PhD and his team are producing hydrogen from water using sunlight and gold nanomaterials. The university press release is claiming Orlov’s team has done the first-ever experiment of its kind demonstrating that clean energy hydrogen can be produced from water splitting by using […]
Jun
15
Pushing Solar to Investment and Efficiency Turning Points
June 15, 2012 | 1 Comment
Two press releases show that both silicon and organic solar are closing in on dramatic cost reductions per watt-hour. The major market player based on silicon, that’s using about 40% of the overall cost, is getting a new MIT approach that could reduce the thickness of the silicon used by more than 90 percent while […]