Solar-cell-leaves designed to produce electricity

Leaves aren’t something we pay a lot of attention too. They’re all around us, on trees, fallen on streets, fresh and green and at times dried up, crunching below our shoes. The researchers at North Carolina State University though have come up with artificial leaves that can generate solar energy! The device is basically a flexible water-based gel combined with light-sensitive molecules that functions a lot like a real leaf does. Drawing energy from the sun, these artificial leaves soak in the sun to generate electricity. Though capable of being produced synthetically, researchers chose to create these molecules naturally, using natural plant chlorophyll, without using too much of toxic materials. This worked out cheaper too!

On exposing the gel to the sun, a reaction triggers just like chlorophyll converts solar energy into sugars. With a development like this, these solar-cell-leaves could simply be grown on roofs to generate energy!
[CleanTechnica]