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Problems derived from climate change dictate the reestablishment of our prospective in energy production. In this direction, converting solar energy through photocatalysis into suitable fuels such as hydrogen and carbon-based fuels by water splitting and CO2 reduction, respectively, has been established as a promising approach. Currently, the main concern in this field is the development of cost-effective and efficient photocatalysts. Among the different systems studied, Cu-based photocatalysts are considered attractive candidates for both applications due to their relative low-cost, the natural abundance of the constituents and their promising reactivity. In this review, the current progress in the field of Cu-based photoactive materials for both H-2 production and CO2 reduction will be discussed. Finally, an outlook on the challenges and future research directions is given.