Storing sun

It’s widely accepted that our future energy needs will be met by experimental and theoretical technologies. Possibilities include “clean” coal, advanced “breeder” nuclear reactors, hydrogen fuel cells, and batteries with enough storage capacity to back up power plants.

Nathan Lewis, a chemistry professor at the California Institute of Technology, has spent three decades researching another option: harnessing solar power to create fuels that can replace oil and gasoline.

Lewis will give the keynote speech tonight in Chapel Hill to kick off a two-day conference at UNC exploring the future of solar energy. The conference marks the creation of the Solar Energy Research Center, a joint effort between UNC, Duke, N.C. Central, N.C. State and the University of Florida, which have are combining research in chemistry and polymers and other scientific disciplines. To fuel its research ambitions, the center has applied for a $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Raleigh News and Observer