The international community is facing combined challenges of operating within our planetary boundaries, meeting the UN SDG 2030 targets, and delivering net-zero emissions by 2050. The cost of delivering CO2 neutrality alone is estimated to be US$140 Trillion by 2050 or >US$5 trillion per year. Yet failure to solve these challenges risks economic, social, political, climate, food, water, and fuel security. This highlights the importance of fast-tracking new robust, circular economy solutions. The Centre for Solar Biotechnology is developing next-generation light-driven biotechnologies that tap into the vast energy resource of the sun to produce a broad range of products. Biotechnologies designed to simultaneously deliver economic, social, and environmental benefits are identified using integrated Techno-Economic and Lifecycle Analysis (TELCA). These are refined further through simulation guided design. Facilities simulated include 500 ha renewable fuel processes and multiproduct biorefineries, through to 1 ha high value recombinant protein production facilities. This simulation guided design approach informs process optimization work including atomic resolution cryo-electron microscopy and sequential CRISPR focused on the development of next-generation cell lines with improved light capture efficiency, light-driven recombinant protein and small molecule synthesis, high-throughput robotic nutrient and light optimization, bioprocess optimization and pilot scale trials to fast-track systems optimization, de-risk scale up and develop robust business cases for the chosen products and services.