The Helios effort is a solar energy initiative at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and UC Berkeley. The primary goal of this effort is to develop methods to “store” solar energy in the form of renewable transportation fuel. Several approaches under investigation include the generation of biofuels from biomass, the generation of biofuels by algae, and the direct conversion of water and carbon dioxide to fuels by the use of solar energy.

    Researchers associated with Helios are working in the following organizations:

Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI)

Located on the campus of UC Berkeley, the Energy Bioscience Institute is a collaborative partnership between UC Berkeley, Berkeley Lab, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and BP, supported by a grant from the BP Corporation. The EBI is dedicated to the development of the next generation of biofuels and sponsors research on agricultural, scientific, environmental, and soci-ecomomic aspects of biofuel production. Other areas of research include fossil fuel bioprocessing, carbon sequestration and microbially-enhanced hydrocarbon recovery.

Helios Solar Energy Research Center (SERC)

Helios SERC scientists are developing solar-driven chemical converters that will create transportation fuels from water and carbon dioxide. Centered at Berkeley Lab, this program also includes experts from UC Berkeley and several other universities. Research focuses on advanced nanomaterials for use in solar light collectors and electrodes, a new generation of catalysts for energy-efficient chemistry, and specialized soft and hard membranes for integrating the light harvesting, charge separating and fuel forming components.

Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI)

JBEI, located in Emeryville, CA, is a partnership of researchers from three National labs – Berkeley Lab, Lawrence Livermore, and Sandia, and three academic entitites – UC Berkeley, UC Davis and The Carnegie Institution at Stanford – and funded by the US Department of Energy. JBEI’s research programs will apply advanced research technologies to develop environmentally friendly biofuels using plant biomass and microbes. In addition to the research partners, JBEI will establish industrial collaborations to bring relevant scientific and market capabilities in areas such as energy, agribusiness, and biotechnology.

Other solar energy research at the Lab
Other solar energy research areas at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory strive to improve the efficiency of solar panels by developing advanced semiconductor materials, and low-cost solar panels using nanoparticle or polymer-based photovoltaics. The BATT program addresses still another aspect of solar transportation needs: the development of improved batteries for electric vehicles.

The Helios Talks

The Helios Talks are a series of free lectures at the Berkeley Repertory Theater for community members to highlight the problems and progress of making clean energy from the sun. Go here for more information