Liquid Sunlight Alliance
Stored: Liquid Sunlight Alliance
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Liquid Sunlight Alliance (LiSA) is a DOE-funded Energy Innovation Hub led by the California Institute of Technology, focused on advancing artificial photosynthesis to convert sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen into liquid fuels, building on the legacy of the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP). Launched in 2020, LiSA unites over 100 scientists across national labs and universities to co-design coupled chemical microenvironments, aiming to revolutionize solar fuels production with unprecedented efficiency and durability for applications like transportation and industrial energy.
Mission
LiSA’s mission is to establish a scientific foundation for solar fuels by integrating light absorbers, catalysts, and chemical microenvironments into systems that achieve high efficiency and selectivity in producing liquid fuels, surpassing conventional electrochemical methods. It pursues this through a multidisciplinary approach—spanning chemistry, physics, and engineering—to understand photon, electron, and molecular processes, targeting durable systems that operate up to 100,000 hours, supporting DOE’s vision for a carbon-neutral energy economy.
Parent organization
LiSA operates under the Department of Energy, specifically the Office of Science’s Basic Energy Sciences program, which provides funding and strategic oversight. The Department of Energy is the top organization, guiding LiSA’s alignment with national goals for clean energy innovation.
Legislation
LiSA was not created by specific legislation but was established in July 2020 as part of DOE’s Fuels from Sunlight Energy Innovation Hub program, succeeding JCAP with a $60 million award announced by Under Secretary Paul Dabbar.
Partners
LiSA’s core partners include:
- California Institute of Technology (lead)
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Universities: UC Irvine, UC San Diego, University of Oregon
Number of employees
LiSA does not have a dedicated employee count; it leverages over 100 scientists—faculty, researchers, postdocs, and students—across its partner institutions, with staffing drawn from these entities.
Organization structure
LiSA is structured around five research teams:
- Systems and Integration Team designs fuel production systems.
- Chemical Microenvironments Team tunes catalytic selectivity.
- Durability Team enhances component longevity.
- Photoactive Materials Team develops solar-driven materials.
- Photodynamics Team studies energy transfer processes.
Leader
LiSA is led by a Director, Harry Atwater of Caltech, who oversees its scientific direction and multi-institutional collaboration.
Divisions
The efforts include:
- Co-design Research for integrated microenvironments.
- Materials Development for durable catalysts.
- Modeling and Analysis for system optimization.
List of programs
Key LiSA initiatives include:
- Solar Fuels Co-design Research
- Durability Studies for Long-lasting Systems
- Microenvironment Integration Projects
Last total enacted budget
LiSA received a $60 million DOE award for its initial phase (FY 2020-2025), equating to roughly $12 million annually, with potential for renewal pending performance and funding.
Staff
Staffing comprises over 100 scientists from partner labs and universities, including experts in materials science, catalysis, and photochemistry, with no standalone headcount for LiSA.
Funding
LiSA’s funding of $60 million spans 2020-2025 from DOE’s Office of Science, building on JCAP’s legacy, with additional institutional support from partners, subject to annual appropriations.
Services provided
LiSA conducts research into artificial photosynthesis, develops co-designed solar fuels systems, and provides computational models and experimental data, advancing the science for scalable liquid fuel production from sunlight.
Regulations overseen
LiSA does not oversee regulations but supports DOE’s clean energy objectives through technical innovation.
Headquarters address
1200 E California Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA (Caltech campus)
History
LiSA was launched on July 29, 2020, as a DOE Fuels from Sunlight Hub, succeeding JCAP (2010-2020), with a $60 million award to Caltech and partners to advance solar fuels science. It has since made strides in device performance and materials durability, with notable publications like a 2021 Nature Energy study, and continues to evolve under DOE’s Energy Earthshots framework.
External links
- Official Website
- wikipedia:Liquid_Sunlight_Alliance
- DOE Fuels from Sunlight Program
- Berkeley Lab Announcement