Imagine the future when we don’t have to pay for our electricity and gas bills, even we don’t have to pay for gasoline for our personal vehicles. Yes you are reading right and it going to happen, our future is brighter and more independent than we are thinking.
MORE ENERGY FROM SUN HITS THE EARTH
IN ONE HOUR
THAN HUMAN USE IN INTIRE YEAR.
The Lewis group and other scientist are researching on how to extract more energy from sunlight by making a device which uses sunlight, water, carbon dioxide and nitrogen from air to make solar fuels. Thus they are developing solar fuels technologies using new types of semiconductor and catalysts, they are discovering new semiconductors which are able to absorb more portion of visible spectrum of light.
Why fuels? Chemical bond in the fuels is the densest way to store energy, for ex. Gasoline has 60% more energy density than battery. By designing 3D structured semiconductors such that they absorb more visible light by optimising the surface of semiconductors we can store much more amount of energy than other conventional solar methods.
Solar fuels are cheap and efficient way to store energy from sunlight it can be easily adapted in our daily life, we can use solar fuels to power heavy duty trucks, aircrafts and ships which together use ~40% of transportation fuels, they are also developing technologies like artificial grass which rolled in our backyard or roofs so we can make solar fuels in our home for our daily requirements.