Feds Pledge $75M For Converting Solar Energy Into Liquid Fuel At Berkeley Lab, Caltech

BERKELEY (CBS/AP) — Federal officials have pledged $75 million for the study of harnessing solar energy for fuel production at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology.

The Berkeley lab announced Tuesday that the money would be paid out over five years to the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis.

Officials say researchers are making inroads in producing liquid fuels from a combination of sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide.

The center was founded as one of several Energy Innovation Hubs established by the Energy Department in 2010.

The majority of the research is conducted at the Berkeley lab and the Caltech campus in Pasadena.