Converting sunshine into petrol

Research done at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, US, hints at a new way to make petrol using nothing more than sunshine and thin air. Sandia scientist Rich Diver is hoping to carry out the reverse of combustion using solar energy to 're-energise' chemically carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into carbon monoxide, which can then be reacted with water to generate a precursor, in the form of methanol, for liquid combustible fuels.