Since 2008, a European organization led by Athanasios Konstandopoulos at the Centre for Research and Technology in Hellas, Thessaloníki, Greece, has been operating a 100-kilowatt pilot plant that generates hydrogen from a combination of sunlight and steam. It’s now found that the same technology for this pilot plant can also be used to split carbon dioxide molecules. The resulting carbon monoxide can then be combined with the hydrogen to form a hydrocarbon fuel. The creation of hydrocarbon fuel will mean few changes to cars and other energy infrastructure, a break for those hesitant on moving toward alternative energy sources. This new process would make better use of the carbon dioxide that’s already being produced by this pilot plant and could lead to the development of a hydrogen economy.