Complex extracted from pea leaves provides hope for better solar cells

It is a known fact that if we can emulate the process of photosynthesis carried out by plants to convert solar energy into sugars, all our energy problems can be solved. Prof. Nathan Nelson and his research team at the Tel Aviv University’s Department of Biochemistry are a step closer to achieving this goal. According to Professor Nelson, plants have an evolved nano-machinery to generate energy from the sun with the help of a PhotoSystem I complex. Professor Nelson and his research team have managed to extract this complex from pea leaves. By placing this complex on a gold plated surface, the team managed to produce about 10V of electric energy.

Although this breakthrough can be of great help to achieve the final goal of converting 100% of the sun’s energy into usable energy, it is still in its conceptual stages and can only be used for small energy requirements.
[energymatters]