Solar Powered Farts And Energy Storage

While energy storage has always posed somewhat of a challenge when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing; a technology showing promise is using solar power and wind energy to help generate farts, or more accurately, methane.

Is there anything that wind and solar power can’t do? 
 
While energy storage has always posed somewhat of a challenge when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing; all sorts of developments have been made to store surplus energy for baseload purposes; such as salt batteries, cavern batteries and even a virus battery. Another technology showing promise is using solar power and wind energy to help generate farts, or more accurately, methane. 
 
While methane is a powerful greenhouse gas if it’s not utilised, it’s also an excellent and clean source of energy.
 
Researchers at Penn State University have found that some types of bacteria can take electricity, such as produced by solar and and wind power installations, then directly convert carbon dioxide and water to methane, producing a portable energy source.
 
The researchers used a two-chambered cell with an anode immersed in water on one side and a cathode in water, inorganic nutrients and carbon dioxide on the other side of the chamber. The researchers then coated the cathode with a biofilm of the bacteria Archaea, applied a current and found the bacteria began to fart, i.e. the cell produced methane.
 
The cells are about 80 percent efficient in converting electricity to methane and because they use carbon dioxide as feed stock, would be carbon neutral if the electricity comes from a non-carbon source such as solar power or wind energy.
 
Bruce E. Logan, Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering at Penn State, believes the method may be suitable for off peak capture of renewable energy in a portable fuel. Methane has advantages over hydrogen as U.S. infrastructure is already set up to easily transport and deliver methane. 
 
Source

Get a quick solar quote, or contact us today toll free on 1800 EMATTERS or email our friendly team for expert, obligation-free advice!

Other Energy Matters news services: