One year after its launch, the Horizon Europe project SUN-PERFORM is advancing a bold vision for the future of renewable fuels. By combining nanotechnology and synthetic biology, the project aims to transform microalgae into highly efficient solar fuel factories capable of converting sunlight and carbon dioxide into sustainable fuel precursors for aviation and maritime transport.
To mark the project’s first anniversary, we spoke with project coordinator Prof. Sarah D’Adamo about the scientific ambitions behind SUN-PERFORM, the progress achieved so far, and the role solar fuels could play in Europe’s transition to climate neutrality.
What challenge is SUN-PERFORM addressing, and why is now the right time?
Europe is making rapid progress in renewable electricity, but electricity alone will not decarbonise sectors such as aviation and maritime transport. These industries need sustainable energy-dense fuels. SUN-PERFORM addresses this gap by developing a technology that converts sunlight and CO₂ into energy-rich fuels using engineered microalgae, offering a low-cost and energy-efficient alternative to multi-step electrochemical routes. Recent advances in synthetic biology, nanotechnology and materials science make this an exciting moment to rethink how solar energy can be transformed into sustainable fuels.
What gains do you expect from combining nanotechnology and algal bioengineering?
Nature has evolved remarkable photosynthetic systems, but they do not use the full potential of sunlight. Our nanocrystal technology captures parts of the solar spectrum that algae normally cannot use efficiently and converts them into useful wavelengths. The nanocrystal can be further formulated to modulate light intensity, a feature especially beneficial for stable outdoor growth. At the same time, we are engineering microalgae to convert captured energy and CO₂ into fuel precursors more effectively. Together, these innovations could increase solar-to-fuel efficiency by up to four times compared with current approaches.
Why focus on lipids and sustainable aviation fuels?
Lipids are one of the most promising routes to sustainable aviation fuels because they can be converted into drop-in fuels using established industrial processes. This creates a direct bridge between solar-powered biological production and the future aviation fuel market. Our key performance indicators are therefore focused on how efficiently sunlight is converted into lipids and how much lipid can be produced per unit of cultivation area. However, we will need multiple sustainable fuel streams to meet demand, ensure supply security, and accelerate the shift toward a biobased economy—no single pathway can carry the full burden. When we talk about biological systems, one of the recurring challenges is stability and robustness at scale—light, feedstock quality, contamination, environmental variability. Having diversified production strategies reduces risk and allows different technologies to support each other rather than compete.
What have you learned so far from your field-relevant testing?
One of our priorities is ensuring that the technology works beyond laboratory conditions. Initial outdoor trials in Morocco are helping us understand how our light-harvesting materials behave under real sunlight and fluctuating environmental conditions. In parallel, controlled experiments are allowing us to optimise the interaction between light, algae growth and fuel production. These insights are essential for designing systems that remain productive and robust at larger scales.
How are you ensuring sustainability?
Our sustainability and socio-economic approach are built around an iterative LCA–TEA–stakeholder dialogue, which we’ve already started to operationalise through a dedicated workshop at the European Biomass Conference and Exhibition (EUBCE) 2025 in Valencia. At that event, led by Politecnico di Torino with support from INsociety, we opened our draft LCA framework to around 25 external experts, gathering feedback on impact categories, geographies, scale effects, biodiversity and land-use change, and the role of co-products such as oxygen or biochar. The insights from this milestone are now being used to refine our system boundaries, indicator set, and scenario design, ensuring that SUNPERFORM’s LCA is scientifically robust, aligned with EU initiatives such as ReFuelEU Aviation and Fit for 55, and sensitive to regional socio-economic contexts.
Biosafety and public acceptance are often concerns with biotechnology. How do you address them?
We are implementing strict biosafety safeguards by keeping engineered strains in fully contained photobioreactor systems, applying multi-layered biological confinement strategies, and ensuring all outdoor-exposed tests use non-engineered wild-type strains only. The nanocrystal components are likewise assessed for environmental safety, stability, and non-release. On the communication side, we prioritise transparent, early engagement with stakeholders—clearly explaining what bio-hybrid systems are, how containment works, and how risks are monitored—while sharing evidence-based results through public reports, open days, and collaboration with local partners. Together, these practices help build trust and ensure the technology develops responsibly and in line with societal expectations.
What message would you like industry and policymakers to take away?
Future fuels are more than a commodity—they are a strategic resource for Europe’s climate goals, energy security and industrial competitiveness. Achieving this transition will require a diverse portfolio of sustainable fuel technologies. Policymakers can enable this by creating stable, long-term frameworks that encourage distributed investment, support responsible biotechnology innovation, and fund the infrastructure needed for sustainable aviation fuels. With clear and predictable regulation, industry and research can scale these solutions in a way that truly serves society.