Scientists at Harvard Universty say that they’ve created a unique biological system to generate liquid fuel using air, sunlight, and water. Not only does it have the potential to charge an iPhone or Tesla, but it saves the environment in the process.
SCIENTISTS CREATE FAKE LEAF
A study was published in the journal “Science” which exhibits research led by Harvard Professor Daniel Nocera. Nocera has spent years testing out the various uses photosynthesis could have. This research has let Nocera and a team of scientists develop an artificial leaf of sorts. In nature, trees and other vegetation are atmospheric filters. They take in carbon dioxide, trapping it in their branches. Using this idea, Nocera’s new system is going to be 10 times more energy efficient than this natural process. Scientists hope it can someday be used to power iPhone’s, Tesla’s and maybe even the entire grid.
TESLA AND IPHONE POWERED BY NATURE
The artificial leaf actually looks nothing like a leaf. It’s more of a poor man’s science experiment with some impressive technology behind it. The core tech here mimics photosynthesis. The basic purpose of the process is to make carbohydrates and gives plants the energy to grow. It’s the way nature stores solar energy and now scientists hope to put that to better use. Without delving too much into the details, what the fake leaf ultimately gives us is relative to gasoline. It might be a while until Tesla’s and iPhone’s are powered by nature, but scientists have put an expiration date on fossil fuels.
ENERGY THAT SAVES THE ENVIRONMENT
If powering an iPhone, Tesla or our entire power grid wasn’t good enough, the artificial leaf might help save the environment in the process. Usually, fuel sources don’t put the CO2 back into the atmosphere, but the goal here is to do just that. In the future, expect to see our devices powered by a pollution-free fuel cell. A lot of hurdles will have to be overcome before that happens. For one, venture capitalists have invested a lot of money in liquid-fuel. It’s not going to be easy to change their minds on that, at least not for many years. For this tech to be a success, they will have to scale up what they’ve made so far and produce fuels the economy actually wants. You may want your iPhone and Tesla to be charged by nature, but the folks at big oil certainly don’t
