--- description: Researchers have discovered how to convert solar energy into liquid fuel, potentially accelerating our switch to this form of energy title: Solar Energy Can Now Be Converted Into Liquid Fuel image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt50af26e18f533af9/69877ee7524fc07e25dec720/140892340.jpg?branch=production&width=828&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Science](/section/science/) ## Science Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Environment](/tag/environment/) ## Environment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Scientists Have Figured Out a Way to Convert Solar Energy Into Liquid Fuel by [Sabrina Toppa](/author/sabrina-toppa/) ## Sabrina Toppa Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 12, 2015 9:27 AM CUT  Solar activity, artwork Solar activity, artworkGetty Images by [Sabrina Toppa](/author/sabrina-toppa/) ## Sabrina Toppa Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 12, 2015 9:27 AM CUT Researchers at Harvard have [discovered](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150209161423.htm "undefined") how to convert solar energy into liquid fuel, potentially accelerating our switch to the alternative-energy source, according to an article in this month’s scientific journal _Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences_ (_PNAS_). At the moment, solar energy can be converted into hydrogen by using photovoltaic cells. The hydrogen can then be stored in fuel cells for future use. But hydrogen has failed to make headway as an energy source in a world that is infrastructurally set up to handle liquid fuels. Now, however, scientists have figured out a way of using sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. They then use a bacterium to convert the hydrogen, plus carbon dioxide, into the liquid fuel isopropanol. “This is a proof of concept that you can have a way of harvesting solar energy and storing it in the form of a liquid fuel,” said researcher Pamela Silver. The hope now is that solar energy will find more takers, particularly in the developing world, where the ability to make energy locally will be a boon. \[[_Science Daily_](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150209161423.htm "undefined")\] _Read next:_ [_U.S. Oil Production Reaches All-Time High Amid Low Crude Prices_](http://time.com/3706765/oil-production-high-crude/?xid=time%5Freadnext "undefined") [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3706444/solar-energy-liquid-fuel/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3706444/solar-energy-liquid-fuel/"},"headline":"Scientists Have Figured Out a Way to Convert Solar Energy Into Liquid Fuel","datePublished":"2015-02-12T09:27:49.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:11:27.025Z","description":"The potential applications of solar power just got a whole lot wider","url":"https://time.com/3706444/solar-energy-liquid-fuel/","keywords":["Environment","Science topic","solar energy"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt50af26e18f533af9/69877ee7524fc07e25dec720/140892340.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sabrina Toppa","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/sabrina-toppa/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt50af26e18f533af9/69877ee7524fc07e25dec720/140892340.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"140892340","caption":"140892340","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/environment/","name":"Environment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3706444/solar-energy-liquid-fuel/","name":"Scientists Have Figured Out a Way to Convert Solar Energy Into Liquid Fuel"}}]}] ```