New Japanese Technology Can Turn Sunlight and Water Into Hydrogen Fuel

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00:00New Japanese technology can turn sunlight and water into hydrogen fuel.

00:04Japanese scientists have developed a method to convert water into hydrogen fuel using sunlight

00:10and a photocatalyst, promising cheaper and more sustainable hydrogen fuel availability.

00:18Hydrogen is mostly made from fossil fuel-based natural gas, making it less eco-friendly.

00:25Scientists have developed a sunlight-based method for hydrogen production,

00:29potentially transforming it into a viable fossil fuel alternative if widely implemented.

00:35According to the senior author, Professor Kazunari Doman of Shinshu University,

00:40sunlight-driven water splitting using photocatalysts is an ideal technology for solar to chemical energy

00:47conversion and storage, and recent developments in photocatalytic materials and systems raise hopes

00:53for its realization. Catalysts enable water to split into elements under light,

00:59but current one-step systems are inefficient. A more effective two-step system exists,

01:06where one photocatalyst produces hydrogen and another oxygen. The Japanese team chose this

01:12two-step process. Dr. Takashi Hisatomi highlighted solar energy's limitations, emphasizing storing

01:19sunlight as chemical energy for use any time. Over three years, a 100-square-meter reactor proved

01:26effective, performing better in real-world conditions than in the lab, demonstrating promising solar energy

01:32conversion. The ultraviolet responsive photocatalyst increased conversion efficiency by 1.5 times under

01:42sunlight. Standard simulated light from high-latitude regions offers 1% efficiency. Natural sunlight,

01:50with more short wavelengths, could enhance efficiency, although it doesn't exceed 5% currently.