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UCLA team proposes non-photosynthetic biological conversion of CO2

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Most of us naturally associate biological CO 2 conversion with photosynthesis in plants and algae. Furthermore, the maximum efficiency of solar energy conversion by photosynthesis is 5%, while typical solar panel efficiency reaches 20%. If these are achieved, carbon yield and productivity can be greatly accelerated (e.g.,

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WUSTL researchers demonstrate solar-panel-powered microbial electrosynthesis to produce n-butanol from light, CO2 and power

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A team of biologists and engineers modified Rhodopseudomonas palustris TIE-1 (TIE-1) so that it can produce a biofuel using only three renewable and naturally abundant source ingredients: carbon dioxide, solar panel-generated electricity and light. —Wei Bai. Ranaivoarisoa, T.O.,

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ARPA-E awarding $30M to 12 hybrid solar projects; conversion and storage

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Under the FOCUS program, projects will develop advanced solar converters that turn sunlight into electricity for immediate use, while also producing heat that can be stored at low cost for later use as well as innovative storage systems that accept both heat and electricity from variable solar sources. Cogenra Solar, Inc.

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Toshiba targeting practical implementation of conversion of solar energy and CO2 to feedstock and fuel in 2020s

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Toshiba Corporation has developed a new technology that uses solar energy directly to generate carbon compounds from carbon dioxide and water, and to deliver a viable chemical feedstock or fuel with potential for use in industry. Fuels Hydrogen Production Solar Solar fuels' Mechanism of the technology.

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Berkeley Lab solar-to-fuel system for CO2 to ethanol and ethylene; light-powered production of fuel via artificial photosynthesis

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Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have harnessed the power of photosynthesis to convert carbon dioxide into fuels and alcohols at efficiencies far greater than plants. Solar to chemical energy conversion could provide an alternative to mankind's unsustainable use of fossil fuels.

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Researchers develop highly efficient organometal halide perovskite photoelectrodes for water splitting

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Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting based on solar energy is one promising approach for the production of green hydrogen. The novel photoanodes suppress the undesirable internal and external losses associated with photoelectrochemical water splitting, resulting in an unprecedented photon-to-current conversion efficiency of 12.79%.

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Light over heat: UV-driven rhodium nanoparticles catalyze conversion of CO2 to methane

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Duke University researchers have engineered rhodium nanoparticles that can harness the energy in ultraviolet light and use it to catalyze the conversion of carbon dioxide to methane, a key building block for many types of fuels. The black, red, and blue spheres are carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen atoms, respectively.

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