Industrial-scale solar installations need a lot of space and as much sunshine as possible, such as in deserts. Unfortunately, most people find deserts unpleasant places to live. One huge advantage of carbon-based energy sources is their transportability. However, one problem facing the hydrogen-based economy is that shipping the extremely light hydrogen is not practical! However, what if it were possible to truck solar energy from the desert to somewhere less sunny but more populated? One resource that tends to be plentiful in areas where people settle is water - which is a great place to store hydrogen. Splitting it out of the molecule, however, is the challenge. Getting these two energy resources together - sunshine and water - is the idea behind new research at the University of Delaware, where mechanical engineer Professor Ajay Prasad and his group are making "solar fuel." The project is described in this article.
