Photosynthesis Or Photovoltaics?

RedOrbit.com
Posted on: Sunday, 15 May 2011, 10:01 CDT

Which is more efficient at harvesting the sun's energy, plants or solar cells? This salient question and an answer are the subject of an article published in the May 13 issue of the journal Science.

Although both photosynthesis and photovoltaics harvest energy from the sun, they operate in distinctly different ways producing different fuels. It is not a simple task to find common ground between the two in order to compare energy conversion efficiency.

"In order to make meaningful comparisons between photosynthesis (which provides stored chemical potential) and photovoltaic technology (which provides instantaneous electrical power), we considered photovoltaic driven water electrolysis to yield hydrogen using existing technology as an example of artificial photosynthesis," explained co-author Thomas Moore, director of the Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis at Arizona State University.

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