Timo Roestenberg is a scientist at the University of Twente (UT) and is also involved in the company Antecy. This company wants to use crowd funding to collect money for the development of innovative technology that takes CO2 from the air and hydrogen from water, and converts them into liquid fuel using solar energy.
Since April 2011, Roestenberg has been involved with Antecy’s research into solar fuels, working within Professor Brem’s Energy Technology Department. “There are various biofuels around, but the process for converting plants (sugar cane) or algae into fuel is not very efficient,” explains Roestenberg. “The process of converting CO2 and hydrogen into fuel using solar energy is much more efficient. In the past year, I have focused specifically on the CO2 and how you can filter it from the air. CO2 is present in the air at low concentrations, which makes it difficult to capture. Together with other scientists from the University of Twente, I have developed a CO2 absorber to do this. We have already applied for two patents for these.”
Using solar energy to make fuel could solve a major problem, namely the mismatch between the availability of solar energy and where and when it is needed. Roestenberg: "If everyone in the Netherlands installed solar panels on their roof, during the day we would produce much more energy than we needed and nothing at all at night. This means that energy needs to be stored during the day, and this requires a gigantic investment. But excess solar energy can be put to good use to make liquid fuel. These solar fuels can store energy, so that no energy need go to waste. You can also transport them easily. So solar energy which is generated in the wrong place or at the wrong time, can still be utilized.”
Once Antecy has raised €100,000 through crowd funding, a follow-up study will begin at the University of Twente to develop a Pilot Plant. This is a trial set-up that Antecy will use to demonstrate the technology on a larger scale. Roestenberg: “We hope that the technology will have been optimized for domestic use within five years. Households with solar panels on the roof will then be able to convert CO2 into solar fuels automatically using excess solar energy. Residents can then use this fuel for their daily transport. A nice prospect!”
