It's said to save space, save the environment and potentially feed masses of people.

But there are a number of concerns about it.

For one thing, it's grown in a laboratory.

It takes heavy machinery to produce it, and building those machines with concrete and steel can have a negative environmental impact.

The protein powder hasn't been approved yet for human consumption, and critics say it can't produce enough food to feed enough people at a good enough price.

But that's not stopping solar foods from moving forward.

It's not often that scientists gather around multimillion dollar machinery to eat pancakes, but today is that day were doing that just for fun every now and then.

The team, however, isn't just in it for the fun.

They say they're making an entirely new ingredient out of thin air using this, and it could revolutionize how food is made, whether it's the crops that grow from it or the cattle that live on it.

The ground is crucial in creating what we eat, but agriculture is one of the world's largest sources of greenhouse gases.

That's why in Helsinki.

The company is trying to remove land from the equation passive.

Monica is the CEO of Solar Foods, a startup that says it's developing a new natural source of protein called Selene.

Like other protein supplements, it has no discernible taste and can be added to almost any snack or meal.

But unlike competitors, Veronica says, Sahlins production process has almost no carbon footprint.

We don't use plants and animals, so we are bringing a new kind of harvest that is produced through fermentation.

The process starts here with a direct air capture system that's designed to harness carbon dioxide.

Regular air is pulled from this vent into one of eight drums, which are then heated to release water and Co.

Two simultaneously.

This electrolyzer produces hydrogen by using electricity to split water.

But solar food says this is where the magic happens.

This is the main step, basically a standard fermentation tank.

Here, gases are mixed with microbes, along with a few other elements continuously, so it's a bit like a treadmill.

Basically, the cells need to be running, but they're not actually getting anywhere.

Even though this 200 liter tank looks complicated, most of these valves and pipes are just there to measure and monitor the machine.

Quite a lot of complexity comes to the structure because of the steam sterilization, so we have to be sure that what we are growing is just the organism that we want to grow.

This drum dryer is the last piece of the puzzle.

Liquid gets heated to about 140 degrees Celsius, leaving just this powder behind.

When we disconnect the food production from agriculture, which means land use and climate, and whether it means that we can go to produce food everywhere, we can go to the desert or to the Arctic or even into space.

Solar Foods is currently working with the European Space Agency on a way for astronauts to use Celine while in orbit.

But before leaving this planet, the team plans on making 50 million meals by 2021.

But until then, you might just occasionally find them perfecting their pancakes.

At least we like them.