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Study finds direct seawater splitting has substantial drawbacks to conventional water splitting, offers almost no advantage

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A study by a team of researchers from Technische Universität Berlin (TUB) and Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft has found that direct seawater splitting for hydrogen production has substantial drawbacks compared to conventional water splitting and offers almost no advantage. Additionally, H 2 O is needed for water splitting.

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Cambridge researchers develop standalone device that makes formic acid from sunlight, CO2 and water

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Researchers at the University of Cambridge, with colleagues at the University of Tokyo, have developed a standalone device that converts sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into formic acid, a carbon-neutral fuel, without requiring any additional components or electricity. —senior author Professor Erwin Reisner.

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NREL scientists advance solar thermochemical hydrogen (STCH) production

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Hydrogen has emerged as an important carrier to store energy generated by renewable resources, as a substitute for fossil fuels used for transportation, in the production of ammonia, and for other industrial applications. Electrolysis needs electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Illustration by Patrick Davenport, NREL.

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DOE awards $2.7M to U Florida, Synhelion to support production of hydrogen from concentrated solar

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million from the US Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO). The project aims to accelerate the large-scale development and deployment of concentrating solar thermal power (CSP) technology to produce green hydrogen for industrial decarbonization and electric power generation and storage.

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Toyota and DIFFER partner on direct solar production of hydrogen from humid air, rather than water

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The Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research ( DIFFER ) is partnering with Toyota Motor Europe (TME) to develop a device that absorbs water vapor, and splits it into hydrogen and oxygen directly using solar energy. One of these sustainable fuels is hydrogen, which can be used to store renewable energy.

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Heating Buildings With Solar Energy Stored in Sand

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In a region known for long, dark winter nights, Polar Night Energy is building a system in the city of Tampere that can heat buildings with stored solar energy — all day, all night, and all winter long. This means that storing and distributing energy is as important as its generation.

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A New Energy-Efficient Hydrogel Pulls Water From Air

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Using a new kind of hydrogel material, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have pulled water out of thin air at temperatures low enough to be achieved with sunlight. Atmospheric water harvesting draws water from humidity in the air. The material is a hydrogel, a polymer network that naturally retains a lot of water.

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