Sunlight as a source of energy

From the chemical industry, there is a strong demand for development of technologies to produce green chemicals and fuels, while reducing CO2 emissions. In the INTERREG project FOTON, 9 project partners have the ambition to develop high-tech systems and materials for sunlight driven sustainable processes that contribute to a climate neutral industry.

As a society, we currently face two major challenges: securing our future energy supply by transferring fossil fuels to renewable energy sources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions of CO2.
Alleen zo kunnen we de doelstellingen van het klimaatakkoord van Parijs; beperking van de opwarming van de aarde tot maximaal 1.5°C in de 21e eeuw en netto nul CO 2-emissions by 2050.
The project FOTON addresses both challenges.

In the INTERREG project FOTON, 9 project partners have the ambition to develop high-tech systems and materials for sunlight driven sustainable processes that contribute to a climate neutral industry. The direct use of sunlight as an energy source for chemical processes has a number of advantages over the conventional use of sustainably generated electricity.

First is the high energy efficiency in the direct use of sunlight: there is no energy loss in converting sunlight to electricity, or less energy loss if the electricity is generated in the chemical reactor itself.
Transportation of electricity is not necessary and direct use of sunlight is used for local production of green hydrogen and methanol.
This decentralized production avoids high costs associated with infrastructure.

Three pilot demonstrations will demonstrate that sunlight can be used as a renewable energy source for the production of green methanol and green hydrogen in a technologically efficient, energy-efficient and financially feasible manner.

The research within FOTON provides the basis for future translation into an industrial process and offers commercial opportunities for materials and equipment manufacturers and chemical companies in the region.

For more information, check out our website: www.project-foton.nl