Notes on Breakthrough in Photosynthesis Energy Harnessing

Overview

New research led by University of Cambridge on harnessing power from photosynthesis.
Published in the journal Nature.
Potential to become an important source of clean energy.

Photosynthesis: A powerful chemical reaction in plants that converts carbon dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen using sunlight and chlorophyll.
Energy Extraction: Initial stages of photosynthesis produce an explosion of energy; capturing this energy has been challenging.

Use of Lasers:
- Researchers shined lasers into living cyanobacterial cells.
- The laser flash is a million billion times faster than a standard phone camera video.
- This technique allowed scientists to observe the electronic workings of the cell.
Efficiency:
- Maximum efficiency achieved by capturing electrons right at the beginning of the photosynthetic chain.
- For example, a dinner plate-sized amount of cyanobacteria powered a computer for six months.

Need to design agents to transport captured electrons to devices like phones or electrodes.
Potential designs for new energy sources could resemble solar panels or bioreactors.

Origin of Idea: The idea was conceived casually in a bar during discussion.
Significance for Renewable Sector:
- Potential to power devices sustainably and cleanly using plant-based energy.
Environmental Impact:
- Photosynthesis captures carbon from the atmosphere, making the technology potentially greener than conventional methods.
- Questions remain about the entire process’s carbon emissions and lifecycle.
Scalability:
- Current demonstrations show short-term power for computers; scaling to larger applications needs careful consideration of costs and efficiency.
- Aims for cheaper solar panels by utilizing abundant light and water resources without expensive manufacturing processes.

Photosynthesis has historically been used for food and fuel; now potentially for electricity production and various electronic processes.