A solar cell that generates a current stronger than any previously recorded 

This creation could be a path approaching a wider adoption of solar panels in areas like British Columbia and parts of northern Europe where cloudy skies are seen more often. With further evolvement, these solar cells -- named "biogenic" in view of the fact that they are made of living organisms -- could become as efficient as the synthetic cells used in common solar panels.

"Our solution to a uniquely British Columbia problem is a compelling approach toward making solar energy more economical," said Vikramaditya Yadav, a professor in UBC's department of chemical and biological engineering who led the project.
 

Solar cells are the foundation that makes up solar panels

One could say that solar cells are the foundation that makes up solar panels. Solar cells convert light into electrical current. Prior efforts to create biogenic solar cells have keyed in on extracting the natural dye that bacteria use for photosynthesis. It's an expensive and complex process that involves toxic solvents and can cause the dye to degrade.

The UBC researchers' plan was to leave the dye in the bacteria. They genetically engineered E. coli to produce large amounts of lycopene -- a dye that gives tomatoes their red-orange color and is particularly effective at harvesting light for conversion to energy. The researchers covered the bacteria with a mineral that could act as a semiconductor and applied the mixture to a glass surface.

Acting as an anode, coated glass was placed at the end of their cell, they produced a current density of 0.686 milliamps per square centimeter -- an advancement on the 0.362 achieved by others in the field.
Stated by Yadav."We recorded the highest current density for the abiogenic solar cell," "These hybrid materials that we are developing can be created inexpensively and sustainably, and, with adequate optimization, could perform at equivalent efficiencies as common solar cells."
 

Trying to find a system that does not kill bacteria

The cost savings are often hard to estimate, but Yadav believes the process decreases the price of dye production to about a tenth of what it would be otherwise. The holy grail, Yadav said, would be finding a system that doesn't annihilate the bacteria, so they can produce dye considerably.

He joined that there are other implied applications for these biogenic substances in mining, deep-sea exploration, and other dim-light environments.
 

If you want to move into the future and join the solar panel revolution, or if you want to find out what solar panels are right for you, go to HahaSmart.com and try our price checker tool. You can see how much a system will cost, and how much you can save over the next 20 years. 

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