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Towards Solar Fuels from Water and CO 2
Author(s) -
Centi Gabriele,
Perathoner Siglinda
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
chemsuschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.412
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1864-564X
pISSN - 1864-5631
DOI - 10.1002/cssc.200900289
Subject(s) - commercialization , solar energy , environmental science , energy transformation , photovoltaic system , solar fuel , process engineering , engineering physics , materials science , nanotechnology , engineering , chemistry , business , physics , electrical engineering , biochemistry , marketing , photocatalysis , thermodynamics , catalysis
Solar fuels from water and CO 2 are a topic of current large scientific and industrial interest. Research advances on bioroutes, concentrated solar thermal and low‐temperature conversion using semiconductors and a photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) approach, are critically discussed and compared in an attempt to define challenges and current limits and to identify the priorities on which focus research and development (R&D). The need to produce fuels that are easy to transport and store, which can be integrated into the existing energy infrastructure, is emphasized. The role of solar fuels produced from CO 2 in comparison with solar H 2 is analyzed. Solar fuels are complementary to solar to electrical energy conversion, but they still need intensified R&D before possible commercialization.