Daniel Nocera, famous for the invention of the first viable “artificial leaf,” explains how this silicon-based catalytic device separates hydrogen and oxygen from water to create clean energy and fuel. The system can be distributed for localized use --each household could have its own power supply. Goodbye grid. The bionic leaf uses sunlight, ordinary water and readily available materials for the device. Dr. Nocera describes the numerous updates of the bionic leaf, the particular challenge of hydrogen, and the present status of this promising innovation –including a process for creating a nitrogen fertilizer that delivers directly to crops -no waste.
Daniel G. Nocera, Ph.D. is the Patterson Rockwood Professor of Energy in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University. He is best known for his bionic leaf innovation, which has been widely featured in the media, including PBS, Scientific American, New Yorker and other sources. He received the United Nations Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Organization’s Science and Technology Award in 2009 for his contributions to renewable-energy development. Daniel Nocera is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.