Solar Energy Utilization

On the Cover: One route to harvesting the energy of the sun involves learning to mimic natural photosynthesis. Here, sunlight falls on a porphyrin, one member of a family of molecules that includes the chlorophylls, which play a central role in capturing light and using its energy for photosynthesis in green plants. Efficient light-harvesting of the solar spectrum by porphyrins and related molecules can be used to power synthetic molecular assemblies and solidstate devices — applying the principles of photosynthesis to the production of hydrogen, methane, ethanol, and methanol from sunlight, water, and atmospheric carbon dioxide.

BASIC RESEARCH NEEDS FOR SOLAR ENERGY UTILIZATION

Report on the Basic Energy Sciences Workshop on Solar Energy Utilization Chair: Co-chair: Panel Chairs: Solar Electric Solar Fuels Cross-cutting Office of Basic Energy Sciences Contact: Special Assistance Technical: Nathan S. Lewis, California Institute of Technology George Crabtree, Argonne National Laboratory Arthur J. Nozik, National Renewable Energy Laboratory Michael R. Wasielewski, Northwestern University Paul Alivisatos, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Harriet Kung, Basic Energy Sciences, U.S. Department of Energy Jeffrey Tsao, Sandia National Laboratories Elaine Chandler, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Wladek Walukiewicz, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Mark Spitler, National Renewable Energy Laboratory Randy Ellingson, National Renewable Energy Laboratory Ralph Overend, National Renewable Energy Laboratory Jeffrey Mazer, Solar Energy Technologies, U.S. Department of Energy Mary Gress, Basic Energy Sciences, U.S. Department of Energy James Horwitz, Basic Energy Sciences, U.S. Department of Energy Christie Ashton, Basic Energy Sciences, U.S. Department of Energy Brian Herndon, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Leslie Shapard, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Renée M. Nault, Argonne National Laboratory

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