A UK startup, JouleBio has developed a unique way of harnessing the sun’s energy using a new procedure which they call Helioculture technology. They have developed an apparatus called the “Solar Converter” which converts solar energy directly to a fuel capable of being used in automobiles.
They have developed a proprietary bacterial culture instead of the normal silicon cells used for conversion of solar energy to electrical energy. Their main success is the direct conversion of solar energy into fuel fit for consumption in an automobile. Advances in biotechnology is the main reason for this seemingly even cheaper source of fuel. The bacteria culture which they have developed uses the natural process of photosynthesis and thus intakes CO2 and outputs either a solar chemical or solar fuel depending on the type of culture you buy. So overall you are reducing the carbon footprint, which is pretty exciting to say the least. Officially they say that this process is even simpler and less expensive than any modern biofuel process.
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