Podcast: Play in new window
BOB HIRSHON (host):
Energy from spinach…I’m Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update.
A protein in spinach and other greens is extremely efficient at converting sunlight into chemical energy via photosynthesis. Now, scientists have combined the protein with silicon to create a very green-looking solar cell. Vanderbilt University researchers Kane Jennings and David Cliffel led the research.
DAVID CLIFFEL (Vanderbilt University):
Our device works by absorbing the light in the photosynthetic proteins and then basically charging up a battery.
HIRSHON:
Cliffel says spinach yields a lot of the protein, called Photosystem I, because its leaves are so large and green, but other plants could also be used. He adds that the new solar cell produces a much stronger electrical current than previous hybrid designs.
CLIFFEL:
Learning how nature has solved some of these problems like harnessing the sun is an area that really hasn’t been explored.
HIRSHON:
I’m Bob Hirshon, for AAAS, the science society.
