Plants capture light in chlorophyll and use it to capture high energy electrons at almost 100% efficiency. Current solar cells convert light to electricity at only 12 to 17 percent efficiency. A team of scientists in the university of Georgia have developed a way to make use of a plant's extraordinary efficiency by capturing the thylakoids and putting in a special protein that blocks the electrons before they are used to make sugar for the plant. The modified thylakoids are suspended on a specially designed mesh of carbon nanotubes that conduct the electricity.
This technology is still experimental, and the electricity output is low, but this technology has huge potential.
Nos themes:
- Science is Collaborative- a team of scientists worked together to create this technology
- Role of motivation and curiosity- this technology was driven by a need to create more efficient solar power
I found this article very interesting and so cool to know that scientist could get electricity by creating modified thylakoids that conduct it. Here is some more info on how it's done! http://inhabitat.com/scientists-discover-methods-of-harvesting-electricity-from-plants/
ReplyDeleteI had a few questions concerning this. Mainly how much does it cost to extract the energy, as in the equipment and if the plants will run out of use eventually. A second question, is that does it require a specific plant type or species to maximize efficiency.
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