Solar Power from Bacteria

Photosynthesis performed by green leafy plants has been the primary source of harvesting solar energy and converting it into a form that can be used by humans. The food that the plants provide us is a fuel that allows human beings to generate enough energy in their bodies to perform daily tasks.

Photosynthesis takes place due to the green pigment known as chlorophyll. However scientists have found that chlorophyll is not the most efficient at gather and converting solar energy. They have been using techniques to enhance the ability of some bacteria to gather and convert solar energy.

The bacteria have been trained to grow and cover their bodies with tiny semiconductor nanocrystals. Peidong Yang, Ph.D. scholar said that these nanocrystals are much more efficient than chlorophyll and can be grown at a fraction of the cost of manufactured solar panels. The experiments are being conducted at  Yang’s lab at the University of California, Berkeley.

The researchers fed cadmium and the amino acid cysteine to the bacteria to help them develop the nanocrystals which function as solar panels on their surfaces. The experiments of this science project are still in the nascent stage, but the ramifications will prove to be interesting to the entire scientific community.