Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to at least 3 of the following expected outcomes:

• Availability of disruptive and sustainable solar fuel technologies in order to accelerate the replacement of fossil-based energy technologies with more efficient use of primary solar energy in solar fuel production.
• Reduced cost and improved efficiency of solar-based renewable fuel technologies and their value chains by addressing rate-limiting steps in the solar fuels value chain.
• Increase technology leadership, competitiveness and technology export potential of European industry in possibly game-changing solar fuel and synthetic biological technologies.
• Enhanced sustainability of solar fuels, taking fully into account circular economy, social, economic and environmental aspects in line with the European Green Deal priorities.
• Reinforced European scientific basis and European export potential for renewable energy technologies through international collaborations (e.g., the AU-EU Climate Change and Sustainable Energy partnership, the missions and innovation communities of Mission Innovation 2.0).
• Increasing the European energy security and reliability by improving the solar fuel conversion efficiency as well as maintaining and fostering the European global leadership in affordable, secure and sustainable solar fuel technologies.

Scope:

Development of novel in-vivo or in-vitro biochemical and/or bio-inspired/biomimetic pathways for solar fuel production with increased efficiency in comparison to light and dark reactions of natural photosynthesis by synthetic biological and/or bio-inspired/biomimetic approaches. The aim is to achieve a significant improvement of components of both, light harvesting and carbon fixation, which are rate limiting for the conversion of solar energy to renewable fuels. Proposals are expected to include case studies for analysing the potential and impact of the technology for future application at scale and analyse possible interfaces with other solar fuel technologies, with a particular focus on socioeconomic and environmental sustainability including circular economy, social, economic and environmental aspects and cost-effectiveness. All relevant aspects of safety of the technology are expected to be addressed. Hydrogen as a fuel and end-product is excluded.

Projects are expected where possible to collaborate with and contribute to the activities of the Coordination and Support Action funded under the topic HORIZON-CL4-2021-RESILIENCE-01-16

Specific Topic Conditions:

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 3-4 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.