Photosynthetic Cells In Solar Panels

Researchers at the university of british columbia have developed a new kind of solar cell that can convert sunlight into electricity but instead of using electronics like most solar cells this.

Photosynthetic cells in solar panels.

It seems likely that people will continue to want liquid and solid fuels that can be burned whereas solar panels can only provide us with electricity. Scientists are now adapting the photosynthetic process to improve the way we harness solar energy thu 12 mar 2015 09 01 edt last modified on wed 14 feb 2018 15 49 est share on facebook. Among photosynthetic pigments chlorophyll is the most crucial one which not only captures light energy from the sun but also participates in the electron transfer chain a molecular pathway. They reported their findings in the american chemical society journal acs applied materials and interfaces.

The result is a first step in research. While solar panels are straining at the theoretical limits of their efficiency seeking to break free there s still a place for artificial photosynthesis which was for a long time a forgotten cousin. Actual plant s photosynthesis efficiency varies from 0 1 to 0 8 while solar panels convert light into electric energy at an efficiency of approximately 6 20 for mass produced panels and above. While photosynthesis is a plant based chemical process solar cells or photovoltaic cells are man made and convert solar energy into electricity.

However the production cost of silicon solar cells is high both in terms of monetary and energy costs. Currently the most widely used form of solar cells are made using silicon where silicon is essential to the photovoltaic process that converts light into electricity. Solar cells release short lived electrons when. The most efficient perovskite solar cells can convert 22 to 23 percent of sunlight to electricity.