Humankind needs to develop secure and sustainable energy technologies that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At Berkeley Lab researchers are investigating several strategies for harnessing the tremendous potential of solar-based energy sources.
There is enough power in the sunlight that strikes the earth’s surface in one hour to meet an entire year’s worth of human energy needs. Harnessing this bounty through nonpolluting, efficient, cost-effective and practical technologies is an important step in solving the energy crisis and mitigating global climate change.
In 2005, Berkeley Lab director and Nobel laureate Steve Chu launched an ambitious effort to develop solar-based energy technologies, which he called the “Helios Project,” after the sun god of ancient Greek mythology. This effort now encompasses research aimed at the development of a new generation of green biofuels based on agricultural waste products, grasses, algae and other plants not used for food, the direct conversion of water and carbon dioxide into transportation fuels, and the application of artificial nanostructures to solar energy technologies. Berkeley Lab is the lead partner in the Joint BioEnergy Institute, a participant in the Energy Biosciences Institute, and a leader of the effort to develop artificial photosynthesis. Berkeley Lab is also one of the nation’s premier institutes for advancing energy conservation and efficiency technologies.
