- Number 441 |
- June 15, 2015
'Fuels from Sunlight' hub to continue
DOE Under Secretary for Science and Energy
Lynn Orr (second from right) announces the
renewal of
JCAP’s funding while visiting the
JCAP
facility at Berkeley Lab.
DOE has announced $75 million in funding to renew the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP), a DOE Energy Innovation Hub originally established in 2010 with the goal of harnessing solar energy for the production of fuel. The hub is led by the California Institute of Technology in partnership with DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
JCAP researchers are focused on achieving the major scientific breakthroughs needed to produce liquid transportation fuels from a combination of sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide, using artificial photosynthesis.
DOE Under Secretary for Science and Energy Lynn Orr (second from right) announces the renewal of JCAP's funding while visiting the JCAP facility at Berkeley Lab April 27.
DOE Under Secretary for Science and Energy Lynn Orr (second from right) announces the renewal of JCAP’s funding while visiting the JCAP facility at Berkeley Lab April 27.
While the scientific challenges of producing such fuels are considerable, JCAP will capitalize on state-of-the-art capabilities developed during its initial five years of research, including sophisticated characterization tools and unique automated high-throughput experimentation that can quickly make and screen large libraries of materials to identify components for artificial photosynthesis systems.
“Basic scientific research supported by the Department of Energy is crucial to providing the foundation for innovative technologies and later-stage research to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change,” said Under Secretary for Science and Energy Lynn Orr. “JCAP’s work to produce fuels from sunlight and carbon dioxide holds the promise of a potentially revolutionary technology that would put America on the path to a low-carbon economy.”
DOE Under Secretary Orr (second from right) tours Berkeley Lab's JCAP facility.
DOE Under Secretary Orr (second from right) tours Berkeley Lab’s JCAP facility with Berkeley Lab Director Paul Alivisatos (rt.) and JCAP Director Harry Atwater (cntr).
JCAP – which brings together many of the world’s top researchers in the field of artificial photosynthesis -- operates research sites at both institutions. A Southern California site is located at the Caltech campus in Pasadena, while a Northern California site operates at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley. Additional partners include SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory; the University of California, Irvine; and the University of California, San Diego.
[Lynn Yarris, 510.486-5375,
lcyarris@lbl.gov]
