Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE)
CHASE was a non-profit university research center at UNC Chapel Hill focused on developing hybrid approaches to convert solar energy into liquid fuels. The center is now defunct, with its website deactivated.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersChapel Hill, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) does
The Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) was a research center hosted at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, focused on developing hybrid approaches for converting solar energy into liquid fuels. Founded in 2020, the center operated as a non-profit academic research entity with approximately 5 employees and was housed within the university's research infrastructure. Its primary mission was scientific investigation into solar-to-liquid-fuel conversion pathways, a research area typically requiring expertise in catalysis, photochemistry, and materials science.
The center operated under the umbrella of UNC Chapel Hill and did not appear to have independent commercial operations. No products, services, customers, partnerships, management team, or funding rounds are documented in the available source material. The center's primary digital presence — the website at solarhub.unc.edu — has been deactivated by an administrator, and the operating status is recorded as "closed." There is no evidence of go-to-market activity, revenue generation, pricing models, or commercial product launches. The center's business model, to the extent it can be inferred, was that of a federally or institutionally funded academic research program, with funding likely administered through UNC Chapel Hill's grants office rather than as standalone organizational revenue.
Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE)
- Legal name
- Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE)
- Website
- https://solarhub.unc.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- CHASE was a non-profit university research center at UNC Chapel Hill focused on developing hybrid approaches to convert solar energy into liquid fuels. The center is now defunct, with its website deactivated.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Solar Energy Research
- NAICS
- Solar Electric Power Generation (221114)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Concentrated Solar & Solar Fuels R&D (CSP Innovations, Thermochemical, Solar-to-Hydrogen) (EUAMAOAE)
Keywords
Where Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chapel Hill
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure
Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CHASE is a research center within the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that develops hybrid approaches for converting solar energy into liquid fuels. The center investigates integrated photoelectrochemical, photovoltaic-electrochemical, and thermochemical pathways to produce storable liquid fuels from sunlight. It operates as a small academic research unit with approximately 5 researchers.
Product overview
The Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) is a research center. The source website (solarhub.unc.edu) has been deactivated by an administrator, and no product or service information is available from this maintenance page.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE)
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles2 records
Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves3 records
Expansion highlights1 record
Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- BrightSource Energy: Established concentrated solar power developer with utility-scale thermal storage deployments. Operates in the broader CSP/thermal storage space that underpins many hybrid solar-fuels architectures.
Direct peers
- Sunfire: Germany-based Power-to-X company developing solar- and wind-driven synthesis of liquid fuels and hydrogen. Operates in the same solar-to-liquid-fuels technology space as CHASE.
- Glasspoint Solar: Solar steam generation company using concentrated solar for industrial heat. Comparable in underlying concentrated-solar technology, though its commercial focus is enhanced oil recovery rather than liquid fuels.
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL): U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory conducting research on solar fuels, including hydrogen production and thermochemical pathways. Closest institutional analogue to CHASE within the U.S. R&D ecosystem.
- Synhelion: Swiss solar-fuels company commercializing thermochemical pathways to convert solar energy into liquid fuels. Directly comparable to CHASE's stated focus on solar energy to liquid fuels using hybrid/concentrated solar approaches.
- Sandia National Laboratories — Solar Energy Research: U.S. national lab conducting concentrated solar power and solar-thermal fuel research. Another institutional peer pursuing solar-to-fuels R&D at a much larger scale.
- Heliogen: Concentrated solar energy company developing high-temperature solar thermal systems applicable to solar-fuels production. Overlaps with CHASE's concentrated-solar/thermochemical focus area.
Emerging players
- C-Energy Capital / H2Pro: Israel-based startup developing low-cost green hydrogen production technologies. An emerging player in the solar-to-hydrogen corner of the broader solar-fuels landscape CHASE targets.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat1 record
Key risks5 records
Key highlights3 records
Customer concentration
Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) social profiles
Digital presenceCenter for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE)
What does Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) do?
CHASE is a research center within the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that develops hybrid approaches for converting solar energy into liquid fuels. The center investigates integrated photoelectrochemical, photovoltaic-electrochemical, and thermochemical pathways to produce storable liquid fuels from sunlight. It operates as a small academic research unit with approximately 5 researchers.
Is Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) a public or private company?
Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently closed.
When was Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) founded?
Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) based?
Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) is headquartered in Chapel Hill, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE)'s main competitors?
BrightSource Energy is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Sunfire, Glasspoint Solar, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Synhelion, Sandia National Laboratories — Solar Energy Research and Heliogen. C-Energy Capital / H2Pro is listed as an emerging player.
Does Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) have an API?
No public API is recorded for Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE).
What industry is Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE) in?
Center for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels (CHASE)'s product category is Solar Energy Research. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAMAOAE, Concentrated Solar & Solar Fuels R&D (CSP Innovations, Thermochemical, Solar-to-Hydrogen). Its NAICS code is 221114 and its SIC code is 8731.