r/science • u/Wagamaga • Aug 06 '20

Chemistry Turning carbon dioxide into liquid fuel. Scientists have discovered a new electrocatalyst that converts carbon dioxide (CO2) and water into ethanol with very high energy efficiency, high selectivity for the desired final product and low cost.

https://www.anl.gov/article/turning-carbon-dioxide-into-liquid-fuel
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u/capsigrany Aug 06 '20

We will get there soon. Lion and similar batteries are good enough to have the ball rolling and now it's just a matter of a few years, or maybe already there in their next products. In fact current EV and Hybrids owners are helping that. Tons of innovations are pouring: Catl Panasonic and others. Tesla next month will have their battery day and show cool things. There's some much cash at stake that fast innovation is inevitable.

On the other hand I would like to see efficient chemical energy storage at utility level, to enable a 100pct renewable electricity sourcing. Batteries are cool, fast, smart, but they are not a massive and cheap storage as it is for example pumped hydro (using excess renewables). Cheap massive chemical storage can be an ubiquitous solution. Carbon neutral and reversible.

Coupling GWh of battery + long term cheap chemical storage at a TWh + smart grid management software and you have: fast, smart, flexible, cheap and massive storage.

This could get some government funding. Well spent money.

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u/heebath Aug 06 '20

Fingers crossed for TSLA solid state! (Hopefully using JBG technology)

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u/eliminating_coasts Aug 06 '20

On the other hand I would like to see efficient chemical energy storage at utility level, to enable a 100pct renewable electricity sourcing.

The original flow battery, the vanadium tech, is slowly being scaled up in a few places. I think we could see it being quite substantial in about 5 years.