The inventor of one of the world’s most popular toys has been quietly working away at a low cost and more efficient way of converting solar power to electricity.
Lonnie Johnson is the inventor of the Super Soaker water gun that, according to an entry on Wikipedia, was the top selling toy in the USA in 1991 and 1992.
Since that time, Mr. Johnson has not been resting on his laurels or royalties. His company, Johnson EMS, has been working away at a solar engine concept called the Johnson Thermo Electrochemical Converter (JTEC), which converts heat to electricity. Heat is one of the major causes of loss of efficiency in solar panels.
JTEC uses Membrane Electrode Assemblies (MEA) along the lines of those used in fuel cells; without the requirement of oxygen or a special fuel.
According to an entry on the National Science Foundation web site, JTEC is capable of generating electricity from nearly any heat source that generates anywhere from a few degrees to very high temperatures – such as the sun under most conditions around the world.
JTEC is a solid state system that converts thermal energy to electrical energy by expanding hydrogen atoms, which then split apart into electrons and protons. The electrons form an electric current that can be utilised for various applications and the protons are forced through two membranes in the system, recombining with the electrons on the other side and the cycle then repeats.
Mr. Johnson believes that solar power efficiency of 50% in the short-term and 80% in the long-term is possible through JTEC; far higher than any solar panel – and at a lower cost. He believes the proposed engine technology will have major impacts on the global energy economy, particularly with respect to renewable energy.
