Comparing Photosynthetic and Photovoltaic Efficiencies and Recognizing the Potential for Improvement
2011; American Association for the Advancement of Science; Volume: 332; Issue: 6031 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1126/science.1200165
ISSN1095-9203
AutoresRobert E. Blankenship, David M. Tiede, James Barber, Gary W. Brudvig, Graham R. Fleming, Maria L. Ghirardi, M. R. Gunner, Wolfgang Junge, David Kramer, Anastasios Melis, Thomas A. Moore, Christopher C. Moser, Daniel G. Nocera, Arthur J. Nozik, Donald R. Ort, William W. Parson, Roger C. Prince, Richard T. Sayre,
Tópico(s)Energy and Environment Impacts
ResumoComparing photosynthetic and photovoltaic efficiencies is not a simple issue. Although both processes harvest the energy in sunlight, they operate in distinctly different ways and produce different types of products: biomass or chemical fuels in the case of natural photosynthesis and nonstored electrical current in the case of photovoltaics. In order to find common ground for evaluating energy-conversion efficiency, we compare natural photosynthesis with present technologies for photovoltaic-driven electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen. Photovoltaic-driven electrolysis is the more efficient process when measured on an annual basis, yet short-term yields for photosynthetic conversion under optimal conditions come within a factor of 2 or 3 of the photovoltaic benchmark. We consider opportunities in which the frontiers of synthetic biology might be used to enhance natural photosynthesis for improved solar energy conversion efficiency.
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