Solar CO2 gasification of coal was demonstrated under direct irradiation of the fluidized coal bed with the concentrated visible light from a solar furnace simulator in a small-scale quartz reactor. Pulverized Australian bituminous coal (the average particle size of 140 pm) was tested. The peak energy-flux density, FDpeak of the incident light beam was varied up to 1270 kW m(-2). The light-to-chemical (enthalpy) energy conversion via the solar gasification increased with increasing the energy-flux density of irradiation. The maximum energy conversion of 8% was obtained at the optimum gas velocity for fluidization of 0.96 N in min(-1).