Create new biological solar cell technology -Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment
Researchers at the University of British Columbia have found a new, inexpensive way to turn sunlight into energy using solar cells made from bacteria. The current generated by the solar cell they built is stronger than any similar device recorded before, and it is equally effective in both strong and weak light environments.
This revolutionary new solar technology can be further extended to more places, such as British Columbia and parts of northern Europe where it is often cloudy. After further development and improvement, these bio solar cells may be as efficient as the artificial batteries used in traditional solar panels.
The project leader, Vikramaditya Yadav, a professor of chemistry and bioengineering at the University of British Columbia, said: "This unique solution we developed for British Columbia is an important step to make solar energy technology more economical." Solar cells are made of solar panel modules, which can convert sunlight into electricity.(Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment)
Researchers have also built bio solar cells before, but they are all committed to extracting natural dyes from bacteria for photosynthesis. It is an expensive and complex process, which not only uses toxic solvents, but also may lead to dye degradation. The solution proposed by researchers at the University of British Columbia is to retain these biological dyes in bacteria.
They edited the genes of Escherichia coli to produce a large amount of lycopene. This dye gives tomatoes red and orange colors, and this dye is particularly efficient in converting light into energy. The researchers coated E. coli with a layer of minerals to act as a semiconductor, and placed it on a glass surface.
The researchers used the coated glass as an electrode of the solar cell. Their device obtained a current density of 0.686 mA per square millimeter, which is 0.362 mA higher than other biological solar cells in the field. Yadav said, "We have set a record for the highest current density of biological solar cells. These hybrid materials we have developed are cheap and sustainable, and after enough optimization, their conversion efficiency can completely match that of traditional solar cells."
It is difficult to estimate the cost savings of this technology, but Yadav believes that this process will reduce the cost of dye extraction by one tenth. Yadav said that the focus of this research is that we found a process that does not kill bacteria, so they can manufacture biological dyes indefinitely. This bio solar cell technology also has other potential applications, such as mining, deep-sea exploration and other low light environments.
This revolutionary new solar technology can be further extended to more places, such as British Columbia and parts of northern Europe where it is often cloudy. After further development and improvement, these bio solar cells may be as efficient as the artificial batteries used in traditional solar panels.
The project leader, Vikramaditya Yadav, a professor of chemistry and bioengineering at the University of British Columbia, said: "This unique solution we developed for British Columbia is an important step to make solar energy technology more economical." Solar cells are made of solar panel modules, which can convert sunlight into electricity.(Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment)
Researchers have also built bio solar cells before, but they are all committed to extracting natural dyes from bacteria for photosynthesis. It is an expensive and complex process, which not only uses toxic solvents, but also may lead to dye degradation. The solution proposed by researchers at the University of British Columbia is to retain these biological dyes in bacteria.
They edited the genes of Escherichia coli to produce a large amount of lycopene. This dye gives tomatoes red and orange colors, and this dye is particularly efficient in converting light into energy. The researchers coated E. coli with a layer of minerals to act as a semiconductor, and placed it on a glass surface.
The researchers used the coated glass as an electrode of the solar cell. Their device obtained a current density of 0.686 mA per square millimeter, which is 0.362 mA higher than other biological solar cells in the field. Yadav said, "We have set a record for the highest current density of biological solar cells. These hybrid materials we have developed are cheap and sustainable, and after enough optimization, their conversion efficiency can completely match that of traditional solar cells."
It is difficult to estimate the cost savings of this technology, but Yadav believes that this process will reduce the cost of dye extraction by one tenth. Yadav said that the focus of this research is that we found a process that does not kill bacteria, so they can manufacture biological dyes indefinitely. This bio solar cell technology also has other potential applications, such as mining, deep-sea exploration and other low light environments.
