One of nature's true marvels is photosynthesis, whereby trees and plants actually regulate, recycle, and conserve Earth's environment and atmosphere. Scientist have worked for years to recreate photosynthesis with artificial components, and it looks like some of the brightest minds at MIT have finally figured it out.
In the press release just issued regarding the March 27, 2011 public statement at the American Chemical Society about the creation of the world's first working artificial leaf, research team leader Daniel Nocera, Ph.D., reportedly announced, "A practical artificial leaf has been one of the Holy Grails of science for decades. We believe we have done it. The artificial leaf shows particular promise as an inexpensive source of electricity for homes of the poor in developing countries." The artificial leaf is approximately the size of a playing card, but much thinner. It's made of fairly stable and inexpensive components like silicon, cobalt, nickel, and electronics. The artificial leaves placed in water and exposed to sunlight apparently break down hydrogen and oxygen, which can then create electricity to be stored in a separate fuel cell. So far, the MIT team seems to have avoided the instability of previous attempts to create an artificial leaf. They report that, in the lab, their artificial leaves have worked with no significant decrease in output for as long as 45 continuous hours.
While perhaps we're still not quite geared up to the point where we'll be building forests of robot trees to power the earth, environmental publication Grist.org points out that the artificial photosynthesis offers an affordable and clean solution to power houses in places where the power-grid infrastructure doesn't exist, and otherwise presents cost-prohibitive obstacles to developing nations. Likewise, a rooftop garden with a mix of natural plants and artificial, energy-producing leaves might offer a beautiful and effective means of powering any building in a sustainable, green, environmentally-friendly manner. We're running out of excuses for continuing to pollute, deplete, and consume the earth's limited resources.
Considering the ever-increasing volatility in regions of the world where the bulk of our fossil fuels are extracted, the recent devastation of the Gulf of Mexico by petroleum giant BP, the recent local controversy over weaning Washington state off coal-burning power production, and the bald fact that the skyrocketing oil prices seem custom-built to impoverish anyone and everyone still reliant on fossil fuels, this encouraging MIT discovery couldn't have come at a better time.
The potential of a technological advance like the artificial leaf, when coupled with other recent green energy innovations like Australian company Sunergy's recent announcement about their pilot project with India to build the first floating solar power plant, really does sound like science fiction. But the world's desperate need for such innovations is right here, and right now.
Image Credit: Energy Island. Used with permission.