Artificial Leaf For Renewable Energy
This year, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) created a source of renewable energy they call the Artificial Leaf.
Made in laboratories using a combination of silicon, cobalt and nickel, the Leaf is as thin as a sheet of paper and works like a solar cell. It absorbs energy from the Sun and when inserted into water, splits the liquid into its constituent hydrogen and oxygen gases — just like how photosynthesis does in real plants.
This can pave the way for a sustainable source of hydrogen gas which can then be used for hydrogen fuel cells. This is a big deal because hydrogen gas in its natural form is not easily available on Earth.
Current methods to create hydrogen is expensive and consumes a lot of power as it requires a chemical process to break down water or different types of hydrocarbons like ethanol to get it.
What does this mean?
With further refinement, the device may pave the way for sustainable and renewable hydrogen fuel cells powered by nothing more than water and sunlight. MIT Professor Daniel Nocera believes that with a single gallon of water, the Leaf can produce enough electricity to power a house for an entire day.
Is it available here?
No. However, Singapore is a prime candidate for this technology as it has a high density of sunlight per square metre of land. Which is why we have been heavily researching into solar energy, said Dr Jiang Fan, 54, a senior lecturer at Singapore Polytechnic's School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering. Dr Fan, who teaches a course in clean energy, believes that solar energy will become increasingly efficient and could help reduce Singapore's dependency on imported natural gas and oil.
