Photosynthesis Vs Solar Panels

Determining the relative efficiency of photosynthesis and photovoltaics is not a simple problem by david biello on may 12 2011.

Photosynthesis vs solar panels. According to the wikipedia page on photosynthetic efficiency typical plants have a radiant energy to chemical energy conversion efficiency between 0 1 and 2. Natural solar energy is used by plants in the process of. Converting solar energy into other materials dates back to edmund becquerel discover of the photovoltaic effect which is the operating principle of the solar cell in 1839 zamostny 2011. The difference between photosynthesis and solar cells.

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. However the production cost of silicon solar cells is high both in terms of monetary and energy costs. Artificial photosynthesis can be a carbon negative source of liquid fuels like ethanol. Where c 6 h 12 o 6 is glucose which is subsequently transformed into other sugars cellulose lignin and so forth.

Which are better to capture solar energy. The photosynthetic efficiency is the fraction of light energy converted into chemical energy during photosynthesis in green plants and algae. 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. Solar cells chevon allen 01 23 2010 sci 115 professor garcia photosynthesis and the semiconductor based solar cell are very similar process with different ways of reaching the same goal.

Most commercially available solar panels have more than 10 times this efficiency. Photosynthesis can be described by the simplified chemical reaction 6 h 2 o 6 co 2 energy c 6 h 12 o 6 6 o 2. While solar panels are straining at the theoretical limits of their efficiency seeking to break free there s still a place for artificial photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is less efficient than solar panels.

The current technology introduces a solar cell that does not depend on silicon for the photovoltaic effect.