Powering the planet: Chemical challenges in solar energy utilization

被引:7022
作者
Lewis, Nathan S. [1 ]
Nocera, Daniel G.
机构
[1] CALTECH, Div Chem & Chem Engn, Pasadena, CA 91125 USA
[2] MIT, Dept Chem, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
关键词
D O I
10.1073/pnas.0603395103
中图分类号
O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
Global energy consumption is projected to increase, even in the face of substantial declines in energy intensity, at least 2-fold by midcentury relative to the present because of population and economic growth. This demand could be met, in principle, from fossil energy resources, particularly coal. However, the cumulative nature of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere demands that holding atmospheric CO2 levels to even twice their preanthropogenic values by midcentury will require invention, development, and deployment of schemes for carbon-neutral energy production on a scale commensurate with, or larger than, the entire present-day energy supply from all sources combined. Among renewable energy resources, solar energy is by far the largest exploitable resource, providing more energy in 1 hour to the earth than all of the energy consumed by humans in an entire year. In view of the intermittency of insolation, if solar energy is to be a major primary energy source, it must be stored and dispatched on demand to the end user. An especially attractive approach is to store solar-converted energy in the form of chemical bonds, i.e., in a photosynthetic process at a year-round average efficiency significantly higher than current plants or algae, to reduce land-area requirements. Scientific challenges involved with this process include schemes to capture and convert solar energy and then store the energy in the form of chemical bonds, producing oxygen from water and a reduced fuel such as hydrogen, methane, methanol, or other hydrocarbon species.
引用
收藏
页码:15729 / 15735
页数:7
相关论文
共 64 条
  • [1] [Anonymous], SPECIAL REPORT EMISS
  • [2] ELECTROCATALYTIC REDUCTION OF CO2 BY NI CYCLAM2+ IN WATER - STUDY OF THE FACTORS AFFECTING THE EFFICIENCY AND THE SELECTIVITY OF THE PROCESS
    BELEY, M
    COLLIN, JP
    RUPPERT, R
    SAUVAGE, JP
    [J]. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, 1986, 108 (24) : 7461 - 7467
  • [3] Electrocatalytic proton reduction by dithiolate-bridged diiron carbonyl complexes: a connection to the H-cluster?
    Borg, SJ
    Bondin, MI
    Best, SP
    Razavet, M
    Liu, X
    Pickett, CJ
    [J]. BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETY TRANSACTIONS, 2005, 33 : 3 - 6
  • [4] Electron transfer at a dithiolate-bridged diiron assembly: Electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution
    Borg, SJ
    Behrsing, T
    Best, SP
    Razavet, M
    Liu, XM
    Pickett, CJ
    [J]. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, 2004, 126 (51) : 16988 - 16999
  • [5] SYNTHESIS OF MONOMERIC RUTHENIUM HYDROXO COMPLEXES (PME3)4RU(R)(OH) (R = H, ME) AND A UNIQUE DIMERIC RUTHENIUM HYDROXO WATER COMPLEX [TRANS-RU(H)(OH)(DMPE)2.H2O]2
    BURN, MJ
    FICKES, MG
    HARTWIG, JF
    HOLLANDER, FJ
    BERGMAN, RG
    [J]. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, 1993, 115 (13) : 5875 - 5876
  • [6] Proton-coupled electron transfer: a unifying mechanism for biological charge transport, amino acid radical initiation and propagation, and bond making/breaking reactions of water and oxygen
    Chang, CJ
    Chang, MCY
    Damrauer, NH
    Nocera, DG
    [J]. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS, 2004, 1655 (1-3): : 13 - 28
  • [7] ELECTROCATALYTIC PROPERTIES OF NI(CYCLAM)2+ AND NI2(BISCYCLAM)4+ WITH RESPECT TO CO2 AND H2O REDUCTION
    COLLIN, JP
    JOUAITI, A
    SAUVAGE, JP
    [J]. INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, 1988, 27 (11) : 1986 - 1990
  • [8] COBALT-CATALYZED EVOLUTION OF MOLECULAR-HYDROGEN
    CONNOLLY, P
    ESPENSON, JH
    [J]. INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, 1986, 25 (16) : 2684 - 2688
  • [9] Proton-coupled electron transfer
    Cukier, RI
    Nocera, DG
    [J]. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY, 1998, 49 : 337 - 369
  • [10] The organometallic active site of [Fe]hydrogenase: Models and entatic states
    Darensbourg, MY
    Lyon, EJ
    Zhao, X
    Georgakaki, IP
    [J]. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 2003, 100 (07) : 3683 - 3688