Solar Power in a Bottle?

Oregon State University

While I live in Oregon, I did not attend one of the state’s Universities.  Still, I am bursting with pride about Oregon State Unversity scientists’ plan to create solar power in a bottle!   Can you believe this?  Solar power could be harnessed from bacteria in wastewater.  It sounds like science fiction, but its true.

That’s right.  They are talking about bottling sunshine.  Literally.

The Hydrogen Club at OSU is looking into unique ways to tap into solar power, including biological and chemical processes of creating hydrogen fuel.  To be more precise, hydrogen can store solar energy in a very efficient manner (just consider all the water for fuel inventions and posts).  As set forth in a recent Oregonian article by Chris Spitzer, the need for efficient solar power is increasing at a rapid rate:

“The Department of Energy projects a 50 percent increase in worldwide demand by 2030.  To provide that much power with conventional technology, we would need to open two new coal, gas or nuclear power plants every day for the next 20 years.”

To answer this incredible demand, could we create hydrogen from solar power?  And if so, how?

Solar Power from nature

One word: bacteria.  Yes, today, its the dirty little secret – the one that you want to wash off your hands with soap and hot water.  But, consider the role that bacteria plays in photosynthesis…. when you add bacteria to solar panels, you could increase the efficiency on cloudy days.  As stated in the Oregonian article:

“… bacteria-based solar panels could hang on all sides of buildings and would work even on cloudy days.  In nature, bacteria generate only a trickle of hydrogen.  But with small changes to the environment that bacteria live in, the OSU lab has attained a 600-fold increase in hydrogen production.”

So, here’s the rub:  OSU professor and Hydrogen Club member Hong Liu has a great idea.  We should use solar energy to clean wastewater.  In this way, you can not only help recycle the water, but also get some renewable energy from it.  In order to achieve these goals, Liu has devised a microbial fuel cell that can take in wastewater and break it down into clean water and hydrogen.

Its a theory that could be the next big thing for municipalities and utility customers.  When the experiment is fully vetted, the hope is that a machine big enough to handle city waste-water treatment plants could be put into place.  So, now we’re calling for another scientist or inventor that can create such a machine!

Could that be you, or someone you know?  I think its high time to continue the work to create hydrogen from solar power.

Tags: hydrogen club, hydrogen from solar power, oregon state university, Solar, solar power in a bottle