Sneak peek at electrofuels: Geobacter team aims for bio-based solution to solar energy storage

Biofuels Digest
May 25, 2010 Jim Lane

In Massachusetts, more information about the new category of electrofuels has become available fro a research team at University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The “Geobacter” team led by microbiologist Derek Lovley said that a combination of solar power, bacteria and carbon dioxide could provide a hybrid of solar and bio-power and also solve the most perplexing problem facing solar energy: energy storage.

Lovley’s microbial electrosynthesis converts solar power directly into chemicals, which are then readily stored with existing infrastructure and distributed on demand, and are 90 percent efficient at turning electrons into fuel without further processing.

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