Storing the solar energy as disassociated hydrogen and oxygen is far easier and cheaper than storing the solar power as electrical energy in a capacity. With the difficulty and expense of energy storage forming a major hurdle in the way of providing affordable solar power, this new technique may be the first step towards fulfilling significant energy demands with solar power. And considering the high price and limited available of fossils fuels, along with the fact that 174 thousand trillion watts of sunlight hit the Earth every day, a breakthrough in solar energy couldn't come at a better time. Of course, cars still cant' use the hydrogen fuel generated by this process, but at least it's a step in the right direction.