Empowering Clean Energy Innovation: Horizon Europe Funds Solar Fuel Projects
Key Ideas
- European Commission awards €8m to SUN-PERFORM and Solar to Butanol for bio-inspired solar fuel technologies, aiming to reduce carbon emissions and create green industry opportunities.
- Projects target hard-to-electrify sectors like aviation and shipping, focusing on scalability, sustainability, and economic viability of solar fuel production.
- SUN-PERFORM enhances light conversion efficiency using nanocrystals and genetically engineered microalgae, while Solar to Butanol focuses on direct conversion of solar energy into butanol using advanced nature-based materials.
- Both initiatives align with Europe's fossil-free future vision, emphasizing the development of sustainable fuel production and advancing solar fuel technologies through cross-border collaboration.
The European Commission has awarded €8m in Horizon Europe funding to two projects, SUN-PERFORM and Solar to Butanol, focusing on bio-inspired solar fuel technologies. These projects aim to address challenges in hard-to-electrify sectors like aviation and shipping by improving scalability and sustainability of solar fuel production. SUN-PERFORM, led by Wageningen University, enhances light conversion efficiency using nanocrystals and genetically engineered microalgae. Solar to Butanol focuses on direct conversion of solar energy into butanol through solid-state photosynthetic biocatalysts. Both projects align with Europe's commitment to a fossil-free future and aim to accelerate the transition to sustainable solar-driven fuels.