SOLAR ENERGY A NEW SOLUTION:A US start-up claims it has developed a new alternative fuel, which it calls SolarFuel, that mixes carbon dioxide with sunlight, saltwater or wastewater and undisclosed photosynthetic organisms.

Joule Biotechnologies, a Massachusetts-based company, was set up in 2007 and is being funded by US venture capitalists Flagship Ventures. It uses what it calls Helioculture technology to mix these components using solar converters, which are very similar to solar panel arrays.

The company says its laboratory tests indicate that the resulting catalytic activity causes the highly engineered micro-organisms to secrete the chemical equivalent of hydrocarbon-based fuels and ethanol, which it calls SolarFuel.

“There is no question that viable, renewable fuels are vitally important both for economic and environmental reasons,” said chief executive Bill Sims.

“While many novel approaches have been explored, none has been able to clear the roadblocks caused by high production costs, environmental burden and lack of real scale,” he said.

The firm aims to build a manufacturing plant next year, with a view to moving into full-scale commercial production in 2011.

It is already considering whether to establish joint ventures with oil or other large CO2 producers, such as coal-fired power stations or cement kilns in sunny areas such as Texas, New Mexico, Nevada and Arizona.