Comparing photosynthetic and photovoltaic efficiencies and recognizing the potential for improvement |
| |
Authors: | Blankenship Robert E Tiede David M Barber James Brudvig Gary W Fleming Graham Ghirardi Maria Gunner M R Junge Wolfgang Kramer David M Melis Anastasios Moore Thomas A Moser Christopher C Nocera Daniel G Nozik Arthur J Ort Donald R Parson William W Prince Roger C Sayre Richard T |
| |
Institution: | Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA. blankenship@wustl.edu |
| |
Abstract: | Comparing 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. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 PubMed 等数据库收录! |
|