tag:techtv.mit.edu,:Array/218852960 2008-08-12 11:52:36 -0400 MIT News Office <p><span>In what some are calling a major breakthrough for renewable energy, MIT chemists Daniel Nocera and Matthew Kanan discover a new catalyst that speeds up the splitting of water into oxygen and hydrogen. The discovery may heighten interest in pollution-free fuel cell vehicles, which generate energy by combining hydrogen and oxygen chemically, emitting only water. The catalyst, made from cheap materials and working in ordinary water, may also make it easier to convert sunlight into chemical fuels, storing solar energy in much the way plants do. </span></p><p>From Chemical Explorers, Moreno/Lyons Productions </p> 613 tag:techtv.mit.edu,:Array/218830340 2008-07-30 17:41:52 -0400 MIT News Office <p>In a revolutionary leap that could transform solar power from a marginal, boutique alternative into a mainstream energy source, MIT researchers have overcome a major barrier to large-scale solar power: storing energy for use when the sun doesn’t shine. <a href="http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/oxygen-0731.html">More</a></p><p>Video: MIT News Office </p> 128