As you’re probably aware, plants use sunlight for photosynthesis — extracting energy from the UV rays of the sun. Now a group of researchers at the University of Cambridge is testing out a device that makes clean fuel in a very similar way.

The device converts sunlight, CO2, and water into a carbon-neutral fuel source, mimicking the way that plants grow in the sun.

Although the researchers have struggled with gaseous byproducts in their fuel, it was reported in Science Daily that Professor Erwin Reisner and his team are confident about the future of the technology:

“The researchers are now working to further optimise the system and improve efficiency. Additionally, they are exploring other catalysts for using on the device to get different solar fuels. "We hope this technology will pave the way toward sustainable and practical solar fuel production," said Reisner.”

Plants have been growing for billions of years without destroying the Earth in the process, so it seems like a sensible idea to model future clean energy production on photosynthesis.