You may have heard of solar power, but what about harnessing power via photosynthesis?   Controlled by humans, solar panels can generate electrical power through photovoltaic cells.  As opposed to solar panels, photosynthesis employs only the natural sources of plants and the sun to convert solar energy to chemical energy; however, until now humans could not utilize these photosynthesizing plants to generate electrical energy.

Researchers at the Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal (CNRS) have uncovered a new eco-friendly strategy for converting solar energy into electrical energy.   By inserting a biofuel cell into a cactus leaf, scientists recorded that the cell could generate power of 9μW per cm2.

In the process of photosynthesis, plants transform sunlight into glucose and oxygen.  To then convert this chemical plant energy into electrical energy, the biofuel cell, composed to two enzyme-modified electrodes, uses the glucose and oxygen products of photosynthesis to generate an electrical current.  In testing this theory, the electrodes were implanted into the cactus leaf and scientists could observe an electrical current after switching on a desk lamp hooked onto the cell.  As glucose and oxygen yield is proportional to light intensity, stronger illumination allowed for accelerated production of photosynthesis by-products and higher fuel levels in the operating cell.

Along with having the ability to monitor electrical current generated, scientists could observe real-time course of glucose levels in the plant during photosynthesis.  This monitoring ability will offer better understanding of the mechanisms behind photosynthesis, and possibly pave the way for a new, renewable method of generating electrical energy.

Discussion Question: What type of advanced experiment might expose whether photosynthesis could become a main source of electrical energy for society in the future?

News Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100218092846.htm
Paper Abstract: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ac902537h

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