Well, don't get your hopes up just yet. I said 'potential', remember? But I know, just having the potential of such two agreeing on anything is cause for hope and a party with all the flavor of Mardi Gras. But it's true, there is such a technology being readied for testing according to the Washington Post. And no, I'm sorry, but it isn't a free, no cost, stmulis for job creation that eliminates debt and deficit and adds to social services for the needy, not to mention doubling the budget for defense.
No it's none of that. What this technology promises to do is use solar power to cut the amount of natural gas needed to provide energy and reduce greenhouse gases at the same time. In other words, if it takes a million cubic feet of natural gas to provide electricity to a city for a given amount of time, by using this technique it would take, maybe, only 900,000 cubic feet and it would give off less greenhouse gas.
Neat trick if it works. Of course it only works if the sun is shining, but never the less, it would be a useful option. That is unless you don't believe in the use of solar energy or fossil fuels, either or both. And that could be the biggest stumbling block for this technology. Ya see, some folks do not believe we should use solar energy under any circumstances, not even for getting a tan. On the other hand, some other folks think that using any kind of fossil fuel for any reason, including a signal fire when you're marooned on a deserted island in the South Pacific should be taboo.
Anyway, it apparently has to do with chemical engineering and mechanical engineering. It's supposed to work best where natural gas is expensive or the power company gets paid not to produce so much carbon dioxide. Which means in the current world, where nobody can agree on doing what's necessary to curb global warming, it may never get used.
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