Artificial Photosynthesis as a Frontier Technology for Energy Sustainability
Energy Environ. Sci., The Royal Society of Chemistry 2013, DOI: 10.1039/c3ee40534f
3 Pages Posted: 26 Mar 2013
Date Written: March 5, 2013
Abstract
Humanity is on the threshold of a technological revolution that will allow all human structures across the earth to undertake photosynthesis more efficiently than plants; making zero carbon fuels by using solar energy to split water (as a cheap and abundant source of hydrogen) or other products from reduced atmospheric carbon dioxide. The development and global deployment of such artificial photosynthesis (AP) technology addresses three of humanity’s most urgent public policy challenges: to reduce anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, to increase fuel security and to provide a sustainable global economy and ecosystem. Yet, despite the considerable research being undertaken in this field and the incipient thrust to commercialization, AP remains largely unknown in energy and climate change public policy debates. Here we explore mechanisms for enhancing the policy and governance profile of this frontier technology for energy sustainability, even in the absence of a global project on artificial photosynthesis.
Keywords: artificial photosynthesis, solar fuels, solar energy, renewable energy, sustainability, nanotechnology
JEL Classification: R48, Q42, Q43, Q48, Q32, K33, K32
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation