Artificial Leaf Could Solve Energy Crisis

Power your house with a bottle of water.

It's a claim reminiscent of the glory days of cold fusion. Like cold fusion, creating an artificial leaf and hacking the natural process of photosynthesis has long been a scientific holy grail. Unlike cold fusion, it seems someone has attained it.

Daniel Nocera, a professor at MIT, has created a 'leaf' of silicon and a proprietary mix of cobalt and phosphate, which when placed in a jar of water can produce electricity more efficiently than modern solar panels. The yet-to-be-published findings will be a major scientific breakthrough, and a game-changer in the question of global power supply.

India's largest business conglomeration, the Tata Group have bought the tech and plan to develop it to serve the "bottom of the pyramid" — being small, cheap, and able to run on even waste water, it is hoped that this will provide a clean and affordable way to power the developing world. Homes without access to power will be able to generate their own, foregoing the need to develop large power stations and electric cable infrastructure.

As well as powering the development of the "bottom of the pyramid" the technology could change the face of power production and consumption worldwide. Nocera estimates that it will be possible to meet the world's power demands with little more than a swimming pool of water every day.

[via Fast Company]