Go Solar wrote on August 19, 2008 08:54 PM: At the end of July 2008, Dr. Daniel Nocera and Dr. Matthew Kanan, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology‘s Energy Initiative, announced their discovery of an efficient catalyst for the electrolysis of water.

This means that you take water, run it through their device that runs on electricity at room temperature, and you get hydrogen and oxygen, which you store for later use to create electricity-on-demand. (Electrolysis itself is not new, but Nocera and Kanan make it possible using cheaper materials at room temperature, instead of at 1562 degrees Fahrenheit.)

What’s the big deal?

Solar energy can provide the electricity to power the electrolysis. A solar power plant, combined with Nocera-Kanan electrolysis, can generate electricity 24-hours-a-day, 7 days a week. On sunny days, the power plant generates electricity directly used by consumers and also splits the water into hydrogen and oxygen. On cloudy days, the power plant combines the stored hydrogen and stored oxygen to generate electricity directly used by consumers; the resulting water is recycled for splitting on the sunny days. (2*Hydrogen + Oxygen = H2O = water)

Which state has more sunshine than any other? Which state has vast acres of land that are undeveloped and could accommodate solar photovoltaics and solar thermal power stations?

Nevada.

Only 10% of the land area of Nevada is required for solar power to generate enough electricity for the entire United States (source: NPR Talk of the Nation with Ira Flatow at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18595746 at 6 minutes into the interview)

The US Federal Government, through its Bureau of Land Management, controls 67% of Nevada’s land.

Nuke plants and a storage facility (Yucca Mountain) for spent nuke fuel?

Expensive, dangerous, and now obsolete with Nocera and Kanan’s device.

mark wrote on August 19, 2008 05:05 PM: Don`t do wind farms, the birds might get hurt and you might run over a lizard while building a road to the location! Don`t do solar farms, you might blind the birds and run over a lizard while building a road to the location! Wake up tree huggin morrons. the nation is trying to go green and you yes you are the ones holding us back. When was the last time we saw such a divided group of people agree on one thing?

Tim wrote on August 19, 2008 04:27 PM: who cares what that perv thinks?

KDR81 wrote on August 19, 2008 02:44 PM: You know Ronnie G, if the US military wasnt out protecting pipelines we'd still get gas. It may be more expensive, but the $400 billion U.S. taxpayers would save on sending military troops abroad would more than make up for that as a tax cut.

If you parsed it out equally among Americans that would be like $1,300 for every person, every year. Gas prices would have to increase to around $6 a gallon...today, for the lack of a military abroad to show a negative effect on gas prices (assuming all 300 million Americans drove that is). ^_^

KDR81 wrote on August 19, 2008 02:39 PM: NPRI commented on T. Boone Pickens plan suggesting that nuclear power might be a better choice than $1.2 trillion on wind energy.

Check it out, it is a good article.

Al Charlatan wrote on August 19, 2008 02:20 PM: Ronnie G- does it matter? The world ends in 2012!

Ronnie G wrote on August 19, 2008 02:14 PM: Dear J;
If the government stayed out of the energy issue you would not have any oil! Look at where our military is in service! 3 aircraft carrier groups in the Straits of Heromous alone!

We have troops on the ground in Georgia (Yup, 1,500 special forces were involved in a 5 week military exercise with Georgia and several other Middle Asian countries during the Russian attack), all in order to protect oil from Capsain area going to the Black Sea in order to provide oil without going through Russia-and they don't like that!

We have US troops protecting oil pipeline in Columbia. We have US realtions and aid with Sudan-home of Darfur genocide-but hey, we need the oil!

As you can read from the link below, there is an estimated 18 billion barrels of oil in ALL of the "off liimit" lower 48 states Outer Continental Shelf and 7 billion barrels in ANWAR. If you could immediately put that 25 billion barrels of oil in a bowl and excluded foreign oil importation and use, the US would consume 100% of that oil in 2.5 years. So, come 2012 what would your energy plan?

No, the energy issue will be an issue from now on! Facts are stubborn things.

mmsgov

Simplistic Right-Wing Argument wrote on August 19, 2008 02:04 PM: RHG sez: "And just how did the Slickster get to Las Vegas, by bicycle?"

I love the simplistic right-wing argument suggesting that since ecologically minded folk use the existing transportation infrastructure, whose byproduct is greenhouse gases and / or depends upon foreign oil, that this somehow makes them hippocrites.

What they are saying is that the people with whom they disagree should not travel.

Right.

J wrote on August 19, 2008 12:11 PM: Government should stay out of the energy issue and let the private sector develop any form of energy production found to be profitable. Should the consumer desire clean coal, nuclear power, and clean oil, wind, solar, or geothermal, private industry should be absolutely free to exploit these resources without governmental interference. This means anywhere, anytime, and in any viable way.

The role of government should be to create a strong military to meet global threats and challenges. John McCain wishes to do the right thing and increase the strength of our military, to increase the military budget, thereby securing the ability of private industry to exploit the abundant resources available and secure our way of life.

We don't need birds, horses, or wild animals. The wilderness is only good for the productive resources it provides and as a vacation destination. The national parks system can be dismantled and the funds used to increase the strength of our military. The outer continental shelf holds valuable oil resources as does Alaska. All areas should be open to energy exploration. The energy issue will be a non-issue.

Jeff Gillan wrote on August 19, 2008 11:27 AM: Watch the Energy Summit live on Las Vegas ONE, Cox Cable Channel 19.

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