Turning a New Leaf

MIT chemist Daniel Nocera has recreated the leaf. Using a combination of dyes and catalysts, Nocera has shown that water can be separated into oxygen and hydrogen using only sunlight, just like in plants. One of the biggest issues with clean alternative energy sources like wind and solar is the lack of efficient storage capabilities. Wind and the sun come and go, so there needs to be a way to store previously generated energy for a rainy day (pun intended). Nocera has opened up the possibility of storing solar power as hydrogen gas, thereby creating a “battery” that can be used when the sun is not out. Read the story here.