Developing sustainable energy resources is one of the most urgent missions for human beings as increasing energy demand is in drastic conflict with limited global fossil fuels. Among the various types of sustainable energy resources, solar energy is considered to be promising due to its inexhaustible supply, universality, high capacity, and environmental friendliness. However, natural solar irradiation is decentralized, intermittent and fluctuates constantly. Therefore, effective utilization of solar energy in a clean, economic, and convenient way remains a grand challenge. Guest Editors Jinlong Gong, Can Li, and Michael R. Wasielewski introduce this themed issue on solar energy conversion.