His work might lead to a new solar energy system based on photosynthesis which would be cheap and easy to use perfectly suited for.
How photosynthesis works solar panels.
When most people consider solar power they think of photovoltaic pv panels that are used to generate electricity.
During photosynthesis plants and other organisms such as algae and cyanobacteria convert solar energy into chemical energy that can later be used as fuel for activities.
Photosynthesis starts when a photon a tiny packet of light is absorbed by a molecule of chlorophyll.
The use and misuse of photosynthesis in the quest for novel methods to harness solar energy to make fuel philosophical transactions of the royal society a.
Solar panels that run on plants mit researcher andreas mershin.
The desire to use solar energy to provide humans with more environmentally friendly electricity has inspired scientists to find the most efficient way to cultivate energy directly from the sun.
Other ways to harness solar energy also exist and some are even more practical or efficient than solar pv particularly solar thermal and passive solar applications.
Solar power refers to useful energy derived directly from sunlight.
Understanding how photosynthesis works.
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.
The energy of the photon is used to move an electron in the chlorophyll molecule to a higher orbit and that electron moves to another molecule.
This donation of an electron is the energy imput that.
Artificial photosynthesis is a chemical process that biomimics the natural process of photosynthesis to convert sunlight water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and oxygen the term artificial photosynthesis is commonly used to refer to any scheme for capturing and storing the energy from sunlight in the chemical bonds of a fuel a solar fuel.
Here s how artificial photosynthesis works.
Natural solar energy is used by plants in the process of photosynthesis to create chemical energy that fuels the growth of natural life.
This process converts sunlight into usable energy at roughly 2 efficiency whereas solar panels can do it at 25 efficiency or higher algae for biofuels is typically farmed in ponds using.
A catalyst then recombines the molecules to create liquid.