A Breakthrough That Could Mean Sustainability

With Hydrogen emerging as a viable energy option for our future, Researchers at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) have developed a solar paint that absorbs sunlight and water vapour that produces ‘Hydrogen Fuel’.

Synthetic Molybdenum Sulphide, a compound, when mixed with Titanium Oxide (commonly found in wall paint) creates paint that absorbs sunlight and water vapour. It then separates the water atoms into Hydrogen and Oxygen.  

Hydrogen, despite its abundance on earth, it is not found as a natural gas on earth. It is always combined with other elements

Expanding the horizon, sustainably

While initially infrastructure was required to build ways to absorb energy from the sun, this particular form of solar paint could mean that even a brick wall can be used to harvest energy. Anything that can be painted can be converted into an ‘energy production estate’.

This has profound implication as not only can Hydrogen be used as an alternative to fossil fuel but it is also regarded the cleanest source of energy. The system can be used in extreme conditions, in hot and dry climates near a water body to generate fuel.

Hydrogen fuel can be used by automobiles, trains, airplanes and space rockets. As of 2016, there were 3 vehicles that operate on Hydrogen Fuel. NASA uses Hydrogen fuel to launch its space satellites.

The Earth’s consumption

The world’s highest consumption rate is in fossil fuel consumption. By 2040, it is assumed that the world will consume 30 TW (Terawatt), almost double from what it consumed in 2010. Therefore, it is essential to find alternatives for energy sources, as we are largely dependent on a depleting rate of fossil fuels to meet our energy requirements.

If solar paint can accumulate Hydrogen fuel, the money spent on infrastructure can be avoided, which leads to a reduction of overall production can be reduced. Cutting costs while also producing clean energy has long been the aspiration of almost all countries.

What it means for India?

In 2014, India ranked 81 in overall energy self-sufficiency; it is largely defined by a growing energy deficit. India is ranked as the third 3^rd largest consumption of primary energy, after China and the United States. Iceland has largely invested in developing renewable sources of energy and 85% of its primary energy consumption is domestically driven.

 In 2015, the Narendra Modi led government revised the ‘Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission’ to reach new targets of 100GW by the year 2022. The reason for increasing energy generation capacity by 5 times is to make India self-sufficient and a global energy leader.

Our assessment is that Hydrogen Fuel can be an innovative way to meet our energy-driven lifestyles. Geopolitical instability in energy producing countries, competition for energy sources and the cost of infrastructure prevent us from effectively tapping into energy sources. This new development revolves around a process which obtains energy from sources that are available to us, all which means that countries would be able to meet ‘energy security’ needs within domestic realms.

The system is believed to work effectively in dry and hot climates near water bodies, like oceans. When the sea water is absorbed by hot sunlight, the water vapour then converts into fuel. For a country like India with its vast coastal border, this could mean self-sustainability in energy. The breakthrough could reduce dependency while also promoting clean and safe energy.

In terms of a market economy, India being largely an agrarian economy could even be a potential driver of producing fertilizers by producing Ammonia from Hydrogen.