Results 1 to 2 of 2

Thread: Are Bionic Cells The Future Of Solar?

  1. #1

    Question Are Bionic Cells The Future Of Solar?

    A common bacterium that lives in the human gut and can sometimes cause nasty stomach upsets can be used for good, scientists from the University of British Columbia have discovered. In what may well be a first for the solar industry, they genetically engineered a culture of E. coli to make the bacteria produce greater amounts of sun-soaking dye lycopene (the red pigment in tomatoes) and then watched that lycopene degrade and produce an electric current.
    Now, from one perspective this is the latest demonstration of the vast range of good uses that bacteria could be put to. From another, it is a cheaper alternative to other ways of harvesting sunlight using bacteria, which basically come down to extracting their sun-soaking pigments.
    It sounds kind of cruel if you’re not a bacteria hater: the UBC researchers first genetically modified the microorganisms, then they noticed the pigment degrading, which means it was producing electrons, and they decided to check if the current this degradation produces is meaningful.
    To that end, they coated the bacterial culture with a semiconductor and stuck it to a glass surface in a sunny spot. The result: the bacteria produced energy density of 0.686 milliamps per square centimeter. That’s 0.324 milliamps more than previous bacteria-based solar cells, and it was produced more cheaply.

    While the phrase “low cost” is always attractive, it is uncertain at this point what the actual savings would be if the technology could be developed at scale. But what could make this bionic solar cell a hit in the future is the fact that the genetically modified E. coli could soak sunlight just as well under an overcast sky as under a sunny one. This means bionic solar cells could be used in places where the weather conditions are not suitable for synthetic PV panels.

    More at: https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Ene...-Of-Solar.html
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment



  2. Remove this section of ads by registering.
  3. #2
    I have heard of it..Improved efficiency in Solar cells, and in low light and overcast conditions..

    It sounded promising. Technology advances.
    Liberty is lost through complacency and a subservient mindset. When we accept or even welcome automobile checkpoints, random searches, mandatory identification cards, and paramilitary police in our streets, we have lost a vital part of our American heritage. America was born of protest, revolution, and mistrust of government. Subservient societies neither maintain nor deserve freedom for long.
    Ron Paul 2004

    Registered Ron Paul supporter # 2202
    It's all about Freedom



Similar Threads

  1. New Solar Tech Produces 50% More Energy Than Silicon Cells
    By Swordsmyth in forum Science & Technology
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 07-20-2017, 01:46 PM
  2. Next Generation Solar Cells to be 100 Million Times More Efficient
    By I<3Liberty in forum Science & Technology
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 04-12-2014, 07:35 PM
  3. Clear Solar Cells Could Help Windows Generate Power
    By DamianTV in forum Science & Technology
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 12-19-2013, 07:29 PM
  4. China has conquered a third of the world market for solar cells
    By zdenek795 in forum Economy & Markets
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 08-24-2009, 12:59 PM
  5. Question on Solar Cells
    By Athan in forum Freedom Living
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 10-16-2008, 04:13 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •