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Solar Energy To Liquid Fuel

Bionic leaf turns sunlight into liquid fuel

Scientists have created a system that uses solar energy to split water molecules and hydrogen-eating bacteria to produce liquid fuels. The system can convert solar energy to biomass with 10 percent efficiency, far above the 1 percent seen in the fastest-growing plants. Ref. Source 3i.

Fuel Liquid Energy Solar

This will be a great technology, when it is refined a bit. Right now they can only make 3 relatively simple carbon compounds. I understand it is a proof-of-concept run, but until we can be make the complex aryl compounds found in fuels like gasoline, this is only going to be making natural gas type fuels (Propane and butane). And even though 10% efficiency is great, what about the volume output? If this technology can't be scaled up effectively (Which I think will present a whole host of problems), then making very small quantities of fuel is not going to be very useful for meeting our energy demands.

I am excited to see where this technology goes, but I foresee a huge uphill battle for them.

Solar Energy To Liquid Fuel UFO & Writing Art Education Sciences

This can have great applications on a future Mars mission although I think they already have a machine that does the same with air rather than solar energy.