A guiding light for new directions in energy production

Advances in the field could help solve the energy challenge. The science of light and liquids has been intimately entwined since Léon Foucault discovered the speed of light in 1862, when he observed that light travels more slowly in water than in air. This physical harmony between the two materials is now being harnessed to collect and drive light to where it can be the most useful. October's focuses on optofluidics, the study of microfluidics—the microscopic delivery of fluids through extremely small channels or tubes—combined with optics. Demetri Psaltis and his team at EPFL argue that optofluidics is poised to take on one of this century's most important challenges: energy. "By directing the light and concentrating where it can be most efficiently used, we could greatly increase the efficiency of already existing energy producing systems, such as biofuel reactors and solar cells, as well as innovate entirely new forms of energy production" explains Psaltis. "EPFL is the world leader in optofluidics, our institution is in a position to develop truly efficient and disruptive energy sources." Sunlight is already used for energy production besides conventional solar panels. For example, it is used to convert water and carbon dioxide into methane in large industrial biofuel plants. Prisms and mirrors are commonly employed to direct and concentrate sunlight to heat water on the roofs of homes and apartment buildings. These techniques already employ the same principles found in optofluidics—control and manipulation of light and liquid transfer—but often without the precision offered by nano and micro technology. A futuristic example: Optofluidic solar lighting system