Artificial photosynthesis could one day harness energy from the sun to convert carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and water into liquid fuels to power your car, and enable a process for creating chemicals and fertilizers that is better for the environment. But scientists first need new techniques to efficiently convert sunlight into solar fuels and chemicals at scale, and store them for later use.

Since its founding in 2020, the Liquid Sunlight Alliance (LiSA) – a Fuels from Sunlight Energy Innovation Hub funded by the U.S. Department of Energy – has made advances in developing the science principles by which liquid fuels can be generated from sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water.

“LiSA is bringing solar fuels closer to reality. In just five years our researchers have achieved major milestones in artificial photosynthesis.”

– Joel Ager, senior scientist and LiSA program lead at Berkeley Lab

Led by Caltech in close partnership with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), LiSA brings together more than 100 scientists from national lab partners at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and university partners at UC Irvine, UC San Diego, and the University of Oregon. This multi-institutional collaboration is focused on accelerating advances in solar fuels research by combining computationally driven experimentation with real-time observations using ultrafast X-rays and other advanced imaging techniques. By facilitating a national network of leading research capabilities, advanced instruments, and cutting-edge user facilities that are unique to national labs and universities, LiSA is paving the way for a solar fuels future.