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Out of thin air: new solar-powered invention creates hydrogen fuel from the atmosphere

The Guardian · Donna Lu · last updated

Researchers have created a solar-powered device that produces hydrogen fuel directly from moisture in the air. According to its inventors, the prototype produces hydrogen with greater than 99% purity and can work in air that is as dry as 4% relative humidity.

Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: renewables

State of Play

Renewable energy sources — once the fuel of the future, then practical in specific, narrow applications — are increasingly economic mainstream sources of power generation. Hydropower was long the mainstay of U.S. renewable electricity generation, although wind power surpassed hydro for the first time in 2019, and solar continues its rapid growth. The continued growth of wind and solar, with their fluctuations, is tied in part to improvements in storage technology: batteries.

More informationabout ENERGY BASICS: renewables