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Two prestigious California research institutions, the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena (Caltech), will lead a five-year $122 million project to develop advanced methods of solar-based energy production, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy, Daniel Poneman, announced on Friday.
Known collectively as the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP), the project will involve scientists from various professional backgrounds and academic disciplines working together to create a solar energy-to-chemical fuel conversion systems for commercial use.
Under the direction of Nathan S. Lewis, George L. Argyros Professor and professor of chemistry at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), the JCAP research and development will take place at the project’s Energy Innovation Hub located at Caltech’s Jorgensen Laboratory. In a Caltech press release issued on July 22, the new JCAP director emphasized the importance of developing a safe and efficient clean energy source for widespread use:
“The sun is by far the largest source of energy available to man, but we must find a way to cheaply capture, convert, and store its energy if we are to build a complete clean energy system. Making fuels directly from sunlight presents an exciting opportunity to focus the efforts of teams of leading scientists onto developing the breakthroughs that are required to obtain a safe and secure energy future for all nations,” said Lewis.
Photosynthesis is one of the natural world’s most basic and efficient methods of creating energy. Countless species of plants rely on the process of using sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into simple sugars for food. According to Contra Costa Times Science Reporter Suzanne Bohan, JCAP’s artificial photosynthesis research will explore ways to convert sunlight into hydrocarbons and alcohol-based fuels for use in cars and other vehicles.
JCAP scientists will attempt to create synthetic versions of the components necessary for photosynthesis, including: light absorbers, molecular linkers, catalysts and separation membranes. Bohan describes how recent developments in nanotechnology may be used advance JCAP’s research into artificial photosynthesis.
The Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and Caltech Pasadena scientists will be joined on the JCAP project by researchers from other California education institutions, including: Stanford University, UC Irvine, UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara.
For additional information on the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, Fuels from Sunlight Energy Innovation Hub, the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, please visit:
http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2010/07/22/energy-innovation-hub/
http://media.caltech.edu/press_releases/13365
http://www.contracostatimes.com/top-stories/ci_15587963?nclick_check=1
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