Several U.S. national laboratories and the DoD are working on a sunshine to petrol project that will convert solar energy to liquid fuel. The proof of concept for this new technology involves first splitting CO2 and H2O with a solar-driven chemical heat-engine. This is accomplished through a prototype device called a Counter Rotating Ring Receiver Reactor Recuperator (CR5), which will break the carbon-oxygen bond in CO2 to form just Carbon monoxide and oxygen.
Second, the CO and H2 are synthesized from syngas to gasoline with the conventional, already in-place infrastructure. Lastly, CO2 and H2O are recaptured from the atmosphere by selective absorbers and the cycle begins again. This project could lead to the chemical synthesis of gasoline from solar products (such as solar panels) as well as conventional chemistries and would keep the end-user nearly immune to changes. People will still pump a "gasoline-like " substance into their vehicle, however, the source of the substance will be the sun. Currently, the major hurdle of this project is the need for more research and development in the area of the CO2 absorber in order for the project to become economically viable. Researchers of the device say that this project is a good 15 to 20 years away from actually being on the market. However, the wait may very well be worth it given that this project holds real promise of preserving options to keep using fuels we know and love.
Source:https://share.sandia.gov/news/resources/releases/2007/sunshine.html
I think this is a very interesting concept and if developed right, could be a favored technology. Most alternative energy sources such as solar require you to redesign the way you use certain products. For example, a natural gas car has to be fitted specially with a larger tank, which changes the car. As Simeon talked about in his post, this CR5 technology can create liquid fuel out of solar energy. This would be pleasing to automobile enthusiasts like myself, who don't want to see any change in the design of cars. Also, I think that idea can save a lot of money. Because not having to change the cars, airplanes, buses, etc in place right now would make integration much cheaper and feasible. Also,from what I see, this could ultimately be a self-cycled source of energy, as the input its CO2. CO2 can be obtained from a variety of sources, so you wouldn't have to produce it separately to run this process. It will be interesting to see if this technology will bring fruition in the next 15-20 years because it brings a lot of compromise to the energy scene.
ReplyDeleteI find this concept very interesting from the standpoint that, as Neil said, it seemingly naturally produces energy in the form we are used to (gasoline) but even more-so because it does this with a process that seems to be closer to natural photosynthesis. Although, Neil, as a disgruntled automotive enthusiast myself, I doubt we WON'T see a change in the way vehicles are designed, and sooner than we expect.
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