Nuclear Engineer Lonnie Johnson, best known for his invention of
the super soaker squirt gun, has recently designed a new type of
solar energy technology that he says can achieve a conversion
efficiency rate of more than 60 percent. Considering that the
best solar energy systems today have an efficiency of 30-40
percent, Johnson´s method could cut the cost of solar energy
nearly in half. A recent article in Popular Mechanics describes
how Johnson´s system would work. Rather than use photovoltaic
cells, where silicon converts light into electricity, the new
system works like a heat engine. But instead of using heat to
turn an axle, it uses heat to force hydrogen ions through a
membrane-electrode, and create electricity. The system, called
the Johnson Thermoelectric Energy Converting System (JTEC)
consists of two stacks of electrodes - a high-temperature stack
heated by the sun (and by concentrated mirrors) and a low-
temperature stack. An electrical jolt triggers a voltage across
the electrode stacks, with the