SOlar Energy to power CO2 REduction towards C 2 chemicals for energy storage: the SOREC2 project Alberto Magliocco , Stefano Caramori, Serena Berardi Departement of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Science, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari, 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy In our industrialized society, most of the energy demand is satisfied by burning fossil fuels, which produce huge CO 2 emissions. This leads to well-known detrimental consequences for the environment. Thus, such outcomes must be limited or, more desirably, prevented [1-2] . In this framework, the SOREC2 (SOlar Energy to power CO 2 REduction towards C 2 chemicals for energy storage) project, funded by the European Union, is committed to the design and implementation of a sustainable technology for CO 2 conversion to valuable fuels and chemicals exploiting sunlight energy. In particular, the main goal of the SOREC2 project is to assemble a working prototype of a photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell, in which CO 2 is reduced to valuable C 2 products at a suitable metallic cathode, while light-induced water oxidation takes place at a semiconductor-based photoanode. Such PEC also features optimized photovoltaic modules, providing the extra electrical bias required for the standalone operation of the overall device, in which the incoming sunlight will suffice to power the entire process. In this contribution, the main results achieved so far within the SOREC2 project will be presented, specifically addressing the preparation and characterization of the (photo)electrodic interfaces, and the prototype cell design, together with the performance evaluation under operating conditions. References 1. G.A. Olah, G.K.S. Prakash, A. Goeppert, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 133 (2011) 12881 2. M. Robert, M., ACS Energy Lett., 1 (2016) 281
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