The greatest challenge of our time is to create global social justice. Solving the issues surrounding climate change and energy supply is maybe the most important component of this challenge. There is an urgent need to develop innovative and sustainable solutions for the future global energy supply. The vision to, in direct processes, convert energy from the sun to fuels and electricity has a vast potential, but we need meeting places for international cooperation and exchange of ideas to succeed.

There was no broad, international conference series that covered the rapidly expanding solar fuels research. The need and possibility to create such a meeting platform was discussed during the international Gordon Conference “Renewable Fuels for the Future” in California 2014, organized by Michael Wasielewski (Northwestern University) and Stenbjörn Styring (Uppsala University). The Swedish Consortium for Artificial Photosynthesis consequently organized the first International Solar Fuels conference (ISF-1).

It was their aim that the conference shall become the new, natural global forum for solar fuel researchers. ISF is a conference series that will rotate on a biannual basis between organizers around the world. For 6 days in Spring 2015 the ISF-1 conference brought together around 500 research leaders and young scientists working with approaches for direct solar fuel production.

The ISF-2 conference is currently being organized and will be hosted by Professor Clifford Kubiak and Professor Stephen Mayfield from the University of California, San Diego. ISF-2 will be held in San Diego, California from July 6-10, 2017.

Journalists are welcome to register for participation at the conference. Please contact isf2@ucsd.edu.