SOLAR SOLUTION

Solar Energy Conversion Offers A Solution To Help Mitigate Global Warming
March 12, 2007 (DOE/Argonne National Laboratory via Science Daily)

WHO
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory…

WHAT
Argonne carries out forefront basic research on all three solar conversion routes. The laboratory is creating next-generation nanostructured solar cells using sophisticated atomic layer deposition techniques that replace expensive silicon with inexpensive titanium dioxide and chemical dyes. Its artificial photosynthesis program imitates nature using simple chemical components to convert sunlight, water and carbon dioxide directly into fuels like hydrogen, methane and ethanol. Its program on thermoelectric materials takes heat from the sun and converts it directly to electricity…

WHEN
Physics Today, March issue…

WHERE
Argonne National Laboratory, DuPage County, Illinois…

WHY
When fossil fuel is turned into useful energy through combustion, it often produces environmental pollutants that are harmful to human health and greenhouse gases that threaten the global climate. In contrast, solar resources are widely available and have a benign effect on the environment and climate, making it an appealing alternative energy source…

QUOTES
“Sunlight is not only the most plentiful energy resource on earth, it is also one of the most versatile, converting readily to electricity, fuel and heat,” said [a scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory]. “The challenge is to raise its conversion efficiency by factors of five or ten. That requires understanding the fundamental conversion phenomena at the nanoscale. We are just scratching the surface of this rich research field.”