Solar Fuel – New Method for Producing Solar Energy from MIT Gets Funding

MIT chemistry professor, Daniel Nocera has developed a breakthrough technology that could possibly use sun light to generate hydrogen fuel. Xconomy reported today that a company associated with Nocera’s work, Sun Catalytix, completed a $700,000 seed round from Polaris Ventures. According to Xconomy: “Nocera’s exciting discovery is a catalyst that, according to MIT, consists of an electrode placed in water containing cobalt and phosphate. MIT explains that when electricity from any source enters the electrode, the cobalt and phosphate create a film over the electrode, forming a catalyst that separates oxygen gas from the water and leaves behind hydrogen molecules. Then a platinum catalyst is used to convert the hydrogen molecules into hydrogen gas, which could power fuel cells and further efforts to lower global dependence on petroleum-based fuels. The vision is to use sunlight to enable these chemical reactions, creating a new way to tap solar power for energy.” Smells like it could be a CleanLantern.