ZPEnergy.com - Stanford takes the long view with alternative energy research

by Carrie Sturrock, SF Chronicle Staff Writer/ Monday, May 21, 2007

Their alternative energy research is so funky that Stanford professors Fritz Prinz and Arthur Grossman don't think anyone in the world is doing anything quite like it.

They want to interrupt the very basic process of photosynthesis, whereby plants convert light energy into biomass, and instead generate electricity. Cell by cell. It's so "out there," they laugh self-deprecatingly when they discuss it...

Are they years away from a breakthrough? Try decades. And that's just fine with Stanford, which fancies itself doing riskier, more experimental alternative energy projects at a time when universities the world over are turning their attention to global warming and creating new energy sources with low greenhouse gas emissions...

Five years into its effort, Stanford hasn't made any great discoveries, but scientists there say no one expected it to. Fundamental research, they explain, takes time...

"We are definitely focused on applications that might be farther out -- the 10- to 50-year time frame," he said. "We are willing to take risks because we're looking for our work to create new energy options." ...

When light hits a plant, it excites electrons in the chlorophyll molecules, turning that light energy into electrical energy. Just as that electrical energy is about to create carbon building blocks for a plant or tree -- or biomass -- the two scientists want to capture it with an electrode.

This involves inserting a tiny handcrafted probe, the width of a spider web strand, into a single cell using optical and atomic force microscopes that cost $500,000. Exciting stuff with encouraging initial results, only it hasn't actually happened yet.

"We have not yet demonstrated it's possible," said Prinz. "It takes money and technology, patience, dedication and commitment."

It would take a lot of cells to generate enough power to, say, light up a building -- let alone power a whole city. Neither scientist will speculate whether they think that might ever come to pass.

"If you speculate too much, you lose credibility," said Prinz. "We're not promising power plants at this stage."

Full article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/21/ALTENERGY.TMP

Note: Unbelievable!... nobody told them about other "funky" energy research (much more useful and realistic) to spend that money on: tapping ZP/Vacuum Energy? [Vlad]


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