Solar researchers look to leaves for photovoltaic breakthrough

These days, how nature's sunlight is converted into solar energy is an active area of ​​research in solar energy. When MIT researchers designed what they call an "artificial solar leaf" - essentially a silicon solar cell with different catalyst materials attached to each side and allowed to split a water molecule into oxygen and hydrogen - a group of scientists from around the world said that by mimicking natural photosynthesis and using tiny molecular circuits, harvesting and transporting solar electricity could make the conversion of light into energy more efficient.

The theory comes from Graham Fleming of the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory; Gregory Scholes of the University of Toronto; Alexandra Olaya-castro of University College London; and Rienk van Grondelle of the University of Amsterdam. Together, these experts authored "Nature's Lessons in Harvesting Sunlight" in the journal Nature Chemistry.

These experts began with observations at power stations, where complexes of antennas capture sunlight and direct the energy to "reflection centers" so that they can carry out the necessary chemical reactions to make the energy useful. Fleming of the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) stressed that while a number of obstacles need to be overcome to design artificial systems based on components, "a clear framework exists for the design and synthesis of an objectively unlimited number of units and for future artificial photosynthesis systems."

Meanwhile, Olaya-Castro in London said a key factor to consider is special capabilities and leaving out separate energy sources, the energy they use can have a counter-effect. "On a bright sunny day, a billion billion red and blue photons hit a leaf every second," she said. "Under these conditions, power plants need to be able to use the energy from the rapid increase, but also be able to remove the harmful extra energy. Rapid transfer of energy in a regulated way are two key features of natural light harvesting systems."