Power of The Sun
Regarding Kevin Bullis's article on MIT professor Daniel Nocera's method of deriving hydrogen from water using sunlight ("Sun + Water = Fuel," November/December 2008), I suggest going further: tap the power of the sun. Had the plug not been pulled on funding of fusion-related research, we'd be closer to having that technology. Solar, wind, and even "conventional" nuclear power are all diversions from fusion. Like Nocera, let's take a hint from nature. Stellar fusion is the universe's choice for power. Let's get smart and use it here on Earth.
Gerald Schroeder
Jerusalem, Israel
Your article on Nocera's work suggests that he has solved the energy problem with his implied--but only vaguely explained, and completely unquantified--improvement upon the existing commercial electrolysis of water. But the article ignores two other huge and inextricably linked problems: the high cost of generating electricity from sunlight, and the difficulty of storing uncondensable hydrogen fuel. Please restore more balanced reporting to TR.
Don Smith
Bolinas, CA
To read the entire article you must log in:
Most of our content — all daily news, blogs, and videos — is free. Magazine stories are paid. To read this story, you must have a subscription or you must use a reading credit. Registration to Technology Review is free and entitles registrants to three free reading credits.
Manufacturing in the United States is in trouble. That's bad news not just for the country's economy but for the future of innovation.
On Twitter
Become a Fan on Facebook
Subscribe to the Feed