Sunlight to power us day and night?

I recently read an article on PhysOrg.com that made me very excited for how we may be able to use the sun for all our power needs.  (This is going to be a little more technical blog post summary, but check out the article for a complete explanation on how this “breakthrough” technology will work.)

Now, I’ve heard new breakthroughs in energy technology be described as “revolutionary,” but most of the time it seems the new breakthrough is more “evolutionary” - it’s a leap in the right direction…but not our panacea.  However, this is one of the most promising breakthrough technologies I’ve seen. (Warning: I am by no means an energy expert, but I am a bit knowledgeable on the subject.)  Basically, the storage process mimics the water splitting process found in photosynthesis, using the simple, non-toxic, ingredients of water and metal.   During the day, energy needs are met directly from the sun.  The unused daylight energy is then stored by splitting water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen that are held in a tank, and then recombined to emit electricity when energy is needed – like a hydrogen fuel cell.

Basically it’s a simple, easily constructed system, and could really be the breakthrough we need to utilize the sun’s energy.  After all it is said in the article that “in one hour, enough sunlight strikes the Earth to provide the entire planet's energy needs for one year.”  It’s time to soak it up.