# 147. Solar Fuel Reactor Generates Energy Out of Thin Air

- Show: [The Next Byte Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast)
- Published: 2023-11-07
- Length: 20m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2023-11-07-147-solar-fuel-reactor-generates-energy-out-of-thin-air
- Listen: https://the-next-byte-wevolver.simplecast.com/episodes/147-solar-fuel-reactor-generates-energy-out-of-thin-air-06kDhrKi

## Summary

Hosts Daniel and Forbode discuss a solar fuel reactor developed at ETH Zurich that uses a 3D-printed ceramic core to generate syngas from atmospheric CO2 and water. The team replaced traditional isotropic porous structures with a hierarchical channel design to reduce solar energy attenuation, doubling the fuel yield. This technology has been licensed to spinoff companies Climeworks and Synhelion for commercialization, offering a pathway to sustainable aviation fuel without changing existing infrastructure.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2023-11-07-147-solar-fuel-reactor-generates-energy-out-of-thin-air#t=0) Introduction and Sponsor Read
- [2:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2023-11-07-147-solar-fuel-reactor-generates-energy-out-of-thin-air#t=151) Solar Reactors and Syngas Production
- [5:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2023-11-07-147-solar-fuel-reactor-generates-energy-out-of-thin-air#t=355) The Ceramic Core Limitation
- [8:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2023-11-07-147-solar-fuel-reactor-generates-energy-out-of-thin-air#t=487) Hierarchical Channel Design and 3D Printing
- [11:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2023-11-07-147-solar-fuel-reactor-generates-energy-out-of-thin-air#t=662) Ceramic Ink and Material Stability
- [12:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2023-11-07-147-solar-fuel-reactor-generates-energy-out-of-thin-air#t=770) Commercialization and Spinoffs
- [15:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2023-11-07-147-solar-fuel-reactor-generates-energy-out-of-thin-air#t=911) Sustainable Aviation Fuel Applications
- [16:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2023-11-07-147-solar-fuel-reactor-generates-energy-out-of-thin-air#t=1015) Summary and Outro

## Topics

- [Energy & climate tech](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/energy-and-climate-tech)
- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- ETH Zurich (company)
- Mouser Electronics (company)
- Climeworks (company)
- Synhelion (company)
- Wevolver (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [The Future of Energy: Generating Sustainable Natural Gas with Casey Handmer of Terraform Industries Part 2](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2024-12-19-the-future-of-energy-generating-sustainable-natural-gas-with-casey-handmer-of-te) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [ICYMI... HIBT Lab! Climeworks: Jan Wurzbacher](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-03-30-icymi-hibt-lab-climeworks-jan-wurzbacher) (How I Built This)
- [Mitigating Wildfire Risk to Reduce CO2 Emissions with Bret Richmond, Director of Engineering at C6 Forest to Farm](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-02-16-mitigating-wildfire-risk-to-reduce-co2-emissions-with-bret-richmond-director-of) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [Turning Air, Water, and Sunlight into Natural Gas: Casey Handmer’s Vision for Sustainable Energy Part 1](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2024-12-05-turning-air-water-and-sunlight-into-natural-gas-casey-handmers-vision-for-sustai) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [The Future of Energy - Part 2: Wind and Carbon Capture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/additive-snack/2022-08-30-the-future-of-energy-part-2-wind-and-carbon-capture) (Additive Snack)

## Citing this page

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