Artificial Leaves Generate Electricity
20 May 2008, 16:39
Categories: smt-energy-photovoltaic bionanotech--nanobiotech
Researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU) claim to have created a prototype of a photovoltaic cell by genetically engineering proteins that produce energy using photosynthesis. If successful, this would enable energy production on a commercial scale through the construction of “artificial leaves.” The cells would even appear green, because of the wavelength of the light that they collect.
The new photovoltaic device is based on a genetically engineered dry protein, photosystem I (PS I), created from bacteria that carry out photosynthesis. “On its own, nature creates for us materials that collect the Sun’s energy, and all we need to do is extract them from the bacteria and use them,” said Prof. Abraham Kribus, TAU’s coordinator for renewable energy. “These materials do exactly the same thing as silicon-based photovoltaic cells – they collect sunlight and create an electrical charge.”
Posted by: The Editors
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