The European Commission has awarded €8 million (US$9 million ) in Horizon Europe funding to two projects that will convert solar energy into liquid fuels, according to a news release. Sun-Perform and Solar to Butanol (S2B) focus on developing bio-inspired technologies that target hard-to-electrify sectors like aviation and shipping.

Sun-Perform, coordinated by Wageningen University, combines advanced nanocrystals with genetically engineered microalgae to improve solar-to-fuel conversion efficiency fourfold. The consortium includes partners from the Netherlands, Germany and Italy, with demonstration facilities in the Netherlands and Morocco. Their goal is producing lipids convertible to biodiesel or aviation fuels.

S2B aims to convert solar energy and atmospheric CO₂ directly into butanol using engineered photosynthetic microbes and nature-based nanomaterials. The project develops solid-state photosynthetic biocatalysts through 3D printing hybrid films embedding photosynthetic cells within functional hydrogels. Demonstration sites are located in Finland and France.

Both four-year projects were funded under the Horizon Europe call supporting advanced biochemical approaches to enhance light harvesting and carbon fixation. They share a common vision of developing sustainable, scalable solar fuel technologies to help Europe achieve climate neutrality.