[thedoc (OP)]

Embarrassingly for the average Aussie, as a nation, they're amongst the worst emitters of greenhouse gases on a per capita basis of any country in the world.  So why aren't they making more use of all that lovely sunshine they enjoy?  New research in Sydney could generate hydrogen  using titanium oxides and sunshine...
Read a transcript of the interview by clicking here

or [chapter podcast=2785 track=10.09.05/Naked_Scientists_Show_10.09.05_7070.mp3] Listen to it now[/chapter] or [download as MP3]

[thedoc (OP)]

[CPT ArkAngel]

Produce electricity with photovoltaic cells and put two electrodes in salted water creating an electical current in it will produce hydrogen and oxygen.

[Geezer]

True. But how efficient is it?

[Mazurka]

Is efficeincy important? I thought the the hype about hydrogen that is it is a good way of storing/ moving energy around rather than being inherently useful as a fuel?

[Geezer]

Is efficeincy important? I thought the the hype about hydrogen that is it is a good way of storing/ moving energy around rather than being inherently useful as a fuel?

There might be simpler ways of storing and moving energy around. The big selling point for hydrogen is/was that it is a zero emission fuel (assuming you don't count water) so there is no local pollution where you consume it. That makes it seem very desireable in places that have a lot of pollution from automobiles etc.

However, if it's produced from a "dirty" energy source, it will create plenty of pollution where it's produced, and the less efficient the process, the greater the amount of pollution produced.

[Geezer]

I should have added that the ultimate application for hydrogen is the fuel cell. A fuel cell is like a battery, but it has the significant advantage that it does not need to be recharged. It's a great invention, but unfortunately, there seem to be a fair number of practical limitations that tend to limit fuel cell applications.