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At its core, the artificial leaf is designed to mimic the natural process of photosynthesis that occurs in plants. Harvard Professor Dan Nocera, who has been researching this technology since the early 1980s, emphasizes the necessity of harnessing sunlight for energy. Traditional solar panels only generate electricity when the sun is shining, leading to periods of downtime when energy storage becomes a critical issue. The artificial leaf presents a solution by producing solar fuel, specifically hydrogen, from water using sunlight.