Artificial photosynthesis

 
The benefit of photosynthesis in this article is storing the electricity from solar radiation into a sugar, or hydrogen.  Instead of converting the radiation to electricity, and then storing the power in a battery, or as kinetic energy through a spinning mass, or potential energy by pushing water up a hill.
 
The good news? we know this can be done. we can see the results of photosynthesis every day, everywhere.  So this is biomimicry.  Simple in the sense that we have a working model to build from.
 
Difficult in that we're trying to copy in a few months, what nature's had millenia to perfect.
 
But the chemistry will work for saints and sinners alike. 
 
It is one of the key elements that give me hope.
 

Copyright 2010
Jean-Luc Park
All rights reserved