IEA hydrogen agreement, task 15:: Photobiological hydrogen production -: An international collaboration

Biological hydrogen production, the production of H-2 by microorganisms, has been an active field of basic and applied research for many years. Realization of practical processes for photobiological hydrogen production from water using solar energy would result in a major, novel source of sustainable and renewable energy, without greenhouse gas emissions or environmental pollution. However, development of such processes requires significant scientific and technological advances, and long-term basic and applied R&D. This International Energy Agency (IEA) Task covers research areas and needs at the interface of basic and applied R&D which are of mutual interest to the countries and researchers participating in the IEA Hydrogen Agreement. The overall objective is to sufficiently advance the basic and early-stage applied science in this area of research over the next five years to allow an evaluation of the potential of such a technology to be developed as a practical renewable energy source for the 21 st Century.