How can algae generate electricity?
And how much energy?
Greetings my good humans! I hope that you’re doing well and keeping healthy. This is my weekly newsletter about all things science and academia. You can subscribe to it by pressing this cute little button here. It’s free!
Now, this week we’re back into more current news since I read a very interesting article coming out from the University of Cambridge that is talking about algae powering a low-energy computer continuously for a year! You might ask what “low-energy” means and I will tell you those small devices like your smartwatches, smart homes, and other smart things you have are considered low energy.
Ok, but how can algae produce electricity?
Don’t worry that’s what I’m here for. I am sure that you have heard about solar panels and how they generate electricity. There is another class of these types of panels called biological solar cells. They have been introduced as an alternative, low cost and more environmentally friendly approach to harvesting solar power. The difference between these kinds of cells is that they piggyback on the photosynthesis process and extract the small electric current that is generated during the conversion of sunlight to oxygen and sugar.
It is a relatively recent discovery since (to my knowledge) the first team that managed to extract some amount of electrical energy was coming from Stanford University in 2010.
Photosynthesis takes place in chloroplasts. There the water is split into oxygen with protons and electrons. As sunlight enters the algae (or any plant for that matter) the electrons are excited to a higher energy state. Usually, when the electrons are at that excited state, proteins bind them that use that energy to make the sugars. The researchers back in 2010 captured the electrons at that high energy state by sticking gold electrodes in the chloroplasts. The generation of electricity from algae makes it one of the greenest forms of energy production as the only byproduct from this process is oxygen which… I hear is very useful for something.
How powerful are these green algae generators?
Those with attention to detail would remember that I emphasized “low-energy” computers at the start of this newsletter. That’s because the power generated is generally very small compared to conventional photovoltaics. However, there are other benefits that make them interesting to study. As we mentioned they use algae that grows and divides naturally, which means that systems based on those generators require less upfront investment, less energy to maintain, and can be produced in a decentralized fashion. Ergo, in rural places like Africa where they get a lot of sunlight, this could provide a solution for energy generation.
Additionally, as we discuss more and more about smart devices and the Internet of Things, this means that we require an increasing amount of power that needs to come from systems that generate energy rather than batteries that store energy. We have billions of devices that collect and send data over the internet, from wearable devices to humidity and temperature sensors around the world, hence we need to figure out what portable energy source we can use. Since these devices usually require little amounts of power may be a generator based on algae couldn’t be a bad idea.
Ok, but what happens at night?
If you know a little bit of greek, or if you paid attention at school, you would know that photosynthesis needs light. Photo- comes from the Greek word φως (phos) which means light after all. So what happens at night? How are those biophotovoltaics gonna help us at night?
Now, something nice happened with the current experiment running at the University of Cambridge. The team of researchers is using an Arm Cortex M0+ microprocessor that is widely used in smart devices. And as mentioned before they continuously powered the device for a year. CONTINUOUSLY. Even though photosynthesis stops in the absence of light the algae continued to generate electricity. The team has yet to completely explain this phenomenon, however, they believe it has to do with the fact that the respiration of plants continues at night as well, so there should be a small amount of food processing during periods of darkness. So as long as there is glucose generated, this means that some exchange of electrons happens and the electrodes are there to pick them up.
While biophotovoltaics are not new and it’s probably not the “scientific discovery to solve the energy crisis” it is interesting to see how different technologies can be implemented to meet our energy criteria. The solution to our energy problem will come from a combination of political, mindset, and technology changes that will work in synergy to create an environment that would be beneficial for everyone on the planet.
Is anything else new this week?
Oh (good) boy, there are quite a few things that were published this week. First of all, let's travel to Switzerland and the Human Brain Project that studied the effects of weird dreams. You know, those dreams that you have that look normal, but upon closer inspection, you see that you have sausages for fingers. The group with the base at the University of Bern in Switzerland used brain simulation and a methodology similar to machine learning to realize that these dreams help us learn better.
We know that sleep helps us retain memories and learn better. In this study, the researchers studied the effect of REM and non-REM dreams in our daily lives. They saw that non-REM dreams are more “realistic” while when we dream during REM sleep our brain tends to be more creative. It is during those creative dreams that our brain tends t deconstruct concepts and experiences better. You can read the full methodology and research in the article here.
Quick Bites
If you want to see what else piqued my interest this week check out the headlines below:
CERN is close to achieving 100% open access to its publications, by Cern
Video games can help boost children’s intelligence, by Karolinska Institute
Did you like this newsletter? if you did you can subscribe to it at the top of the page and why not share it around using this sexy little button here