...Photosynthesis The sun is our most powerful source of energy, the ultimate source of energy for nearly all life on Earth. Sunlight can be used for heating, lighting and cooling homes and other buildings, generating electricity, water heating, and several other processes. Plants and certain other organisms are able to capture solar energy and carry on photosynthesis, a process that transforms solar energy into the chemical energy of nutrient molecules. Animals and plants get energy by metabolizing nutrient molecules made by photosynthesis (Mader, 2012). Most of this solar radiation is in the form of invisible ultraviolet and infrared frequencies, as well as the spectrum of visible light. But the most important use of solar radiation by living organisms is photosynthesis, the direct conversion of visible light into usable energy for plant and animal life, and oxygen to breathe. Only a vanishingly small part of the total amount of radiation given off by the sun actually reaches earth, and only a portion of that is utilized by photosynthesizing organisms (Shields and Teng, 2012). Photosynthesis is the process of producing and releasing oxygen in the air. It needs sunlight, carbon dioxide and water. During the process of photosynthesis, the plants decompose the molecules of hydrogen and carbon-dioxide into hydrogen; carbon and oxygen produce glucose which forms the source of their energy, growth and food. For plants their main source of energy is photosynthesis, which is used...
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...Plants and Semiconductors A Contrast and Comparison of Energy Conversion J’Haun Egerson Strayer University Photosynthesis is the process used by plants to harness the suns energy. The plants use this harnessed energy to produce food. The leaves of plants help trap the energy from sunlight. The process of photosynthesis transforms the solar energy into the chemical energy of a carbohydrate. Photosynthesis occurs mainly in plant leaves, little to none occurs in the stems, roots, etc. To dive a little deeper, the process of photosynthesis takes place in the chloroplasts. Chloroplasts have two major parts. The grana are made up of thylakoids. Thylakoids are membranous disks that contain photosynthetic pigments such as chlorophyll. These pigments absorb solar energy. The other part is the stroma, it is a fluid filled space where carbon dioxide is enzymatically reduced to a carbohydrate such as glucose.1 Today the semiconductor exists to harness solar power as well. A semiconductor is a solar cell that harnesses solar energy and converts it into electricity. The electricity that the semiconductor harnesses is used by people. People use electricity everyday. It runs our useful appliances, video games, televisions, and more. Both plants and semiconductors are similar in that they both harness solar energy from the sun. Both plants and semiconductors have cells. They use the cells to trap the energy from the sun. Semiconductors have solar cells that function to trap the energy...
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...Running head: PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND SEMICONDUCTOR-BASED SOLAR CELL 1 Photosynthesis and Semiconductor-based Solar Cell Jorge Tavarez Strayer University PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND SEMICONDUCTOR-BASED SOLAR CELL 2 Abstract Energy is the capacity to do work and make things happen (Mader, 2009, p. 72). Human or other living things would not be on Earth without the source of energy. In photosynthesis, plant cells harness the sun’s solar energy with carbon dioxide to transform water molecules into oxygen, hydrogen and electrons and a semiconductor-based solar cell harnesses solar energy to convert it to electricity required by humans. In this paper, I will discuss the comparison and contrast of the two systems. I will also describe ways in which the plant cell and the solar cell are similar and different to each other. In addition, I will discuss how the laws of thermodynamics apply to each system. PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND SEMICONDUCTOR-BASED SOLAR CELL 3 Photosynthesis and Semiconductor-Based Solar Cell Two ways in which energy is created for the various life forms on earth are photosynthesis and the process that a semiconductor-based solar cell goes through to make energy. Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert the light energy captured from the sun into chemical energy that can be used to fuel the organism's activities. Semiconductor-based solar cells utilize...
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...Running head: PHOTOSYNTHESIS VS. SEMICONDUCTOR BASED SOLAR CELL Photosynthesis Vs. Semiconductor Based Solar Cell Biology – SCI 115 23 January 2012 Abstract This paper discusses photosynthesis and how it is used by plants to harness solar energy. It also discusses semiconductor-based solar cells and how they are able to harness solar energy and convert it to electricity. This paper also compares the two types of solar energy systems and provides an overview of how the two systems are alike and how they are different. In closing, this paper will briefly explain how the laws of thermodynamics apply to each of the two energy systems. Photosynthesis Photosynthesis is a process that transfers solar energy, or energy from the sun, into a chemical energy that provides nutrients to plants and animals all over the world. Without these important nutrients, plants, animals and humans would not be able to survive on earth. “Animals and plants get energy by metabolizing nutrient molecules made by photosynthesizers.” (Mader, 2010) Semiconductor-Based Solar Cell Before discussing what a semiconductor-based solar cell is, I would first like to define a semiconductor and then explain how it is used in a solar cell type environment. A semiconductor is, “a class of materials, such as silicon and germanium, whose electrical properties lie between those of conductors (such as copper and aluminum) and insulators (such as glass and rubber)...
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...Contrast Photosynthesis and Solar Cell Technology Introduction to Biology SCI 115 Strayer University The plants ability to utilize photosynthesis plays an integral part in everyday life. The way plants are able to interact with the environment, take “waste” and convert it into oxygen is nothing short of amazing. Through ingenuity and technological advancement, human beings have been able to almost replicate this amazing feet. Solar cells are able to absorb light energy to energize electrons. While the end product may be different, solar cells and photosynthesis both utilize light energy for application. Solar cells and photosynthesis are very similar in how the utilize light energy. The purpose of both the solar cell and photosynthesis is to harness light energy and convert it into usable form. In a solar cell sunlight is absorbed by a semi-conductor. In plants “the pigments within the thylakoid membranes absorb solar (radiant) energy” (Mader, 2009). It is in this instant that both a solar cell and a photosynthetic plant are at its most similar. From here the solar cell converts the solar energy to electricity while, through photosynthesis, the plant produces oxygen as it uses water and carbohydrates to grow and survive. The process of the conversion of light energy and certain characteristics of both photosynthesis and solar cell technology are the similarities that these two share. Once light energy has entered the differences come into play. Solar cells...
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...Assignment 1 Jon Barberio Professor James Smith SCI 115 April 22, 2012 There are many similarities and also many differences when comparing photosynthesis and semiconductor based solar cells this paper will outline those these as well as give a description of the two cycles. I will also be defining the law of thermodynamics and explaining how it applies to photosynthesis and also semiconductor based solar cells harnessing solar energy. Photosynthesis is the process of converting solar energy into chemical energy in the form of carbohydrates. For photosynthesis to occur a few factors must be present such as water, carbon dioxide, chlorophyll, and light energy. Photosynthesis consists of two sets of reactions the first being the photo portion or light reaction which is the reaction that captures solar energy the second being the synthesis reaction or Calvin cycle reactions which converts that solar energy into carbohydrates (Mader, 2010). For light reactions to occur first light energy enters the cells and is absorbed by the chlorophyll. That Light energy raises the energy level chlorophyll enabling electrons to be freed form the chlorophyll molecules. This makes the chlorophyll molecules positively charged the electrons from hydrogen atoms are attracted to the positively chlorophyll causing water molecules to break apart into oxygen atoms. The elections freed from the chlorophyll and the protons freed from water take part in the chemical reactions in the cell. The reactions...
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...Photosynthesis vs. Solar panels. Converting solar energy into other materials dates back to Edmund Becquerel discover of the photovoltaic effect, which is the operating principle of the solar cell, in 1839” (Zamostny, 2011). Since then scientist have attempt to mimic the photosynthesis process used by plants to harness solar energy. In this essay I will show what makes both methods similar and what makes them different. The main commonality that photosynthesis and solar panels share is that they both have the same goal of creating energy which originates from the sun. The utilization of photosynthesis allows plants to use that energy to survive. The sole purpose of solar panels is to create energy to that could be used in day to day life to make our lives so much more enjoyable. The use of this technology allows us to slow the uses of fossil fuel preserving them making our surviving (or comfort of living) a lot more sustainable. Another commonality that photosynthesis and solar panels (photovoltaic cells) share is the absorption of the sunlight. In photosynthesis, the sunlight is absorbed through the chlorophyll which is located in the chloroplasts. Then is converted to chemical energy used to produce organic compounds. The same method is used in solar panels where the absorption of sunlight occurs in the semi-conductors usually made of silicon. The process of conversion of sunlight into energy itself is a common trait. In solar panels the semi-conductors perform this process...
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...Photosynthesis and Semiconductor-based solar cell Robyn Beavon Strayer Univestity SCI 115 Professor Meri Stanec July 23, 2012 Photosynthesis and Semiconductor-based solar cell Photosynthesis, by definition, “is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert the light energy captured from the sun into chemical energy that can be used to fuel the organism's activities”. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis) A solar cell “is an electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cell) Photosynthesis and a semiconductor-based solar cell have several similarities and differences. Photosynthesis and solar cells both require solar energy or sunlight for the process to begin. We rely on both processes for survival, photosynthesis produces us oxygen, food and materials for living on Earth (fiber for clothes, wood for our homes, ect) and solar cells provide us with electricity. Another similarity is that they both lose electron during the process. When the electrons are lost in solar cells they are replenished once the electrical circuit is complete. In photosynthesis the electrons lost by the pigments are replaced by splitting water. Splitting water occurs in both plant cells and solar cells, a chemical reaction in which water is separated into oxygen and hydrogen. Water splitting occurs naturally in the process of photosynthesis, however...
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...Title: Photosynthesis versus Photovoltaics Name: Antoinette Bromfield Professor’s Name: James F. Cox Course Title: Introduction to Biology (SCI 115) Date: August 6, 2012 Photosynthesis is “the conversion of light energy into chemical energy by living organisms”. The raw materials used in this process are carbon dioxide and water; the energy source used is sunlight and the end products are oxygen and carbohydrates. This process can be thought of as the most biochemical pathway, since nearly all life on Earth is dependent either directly or indirectly on it. A solar cell is “any device that directly converts the energy in light into electrical energy through the process of photovoltaics”. Photosynthesis and solar cells are similar in a variety of ways. Both systems trap energy from the sun. Plants use photosynthesis to trap energy from the sun and then convert it to food and solar cells trap their energy from the sun and then convert it to electricity. Another similarity with both systems is that they both transform energy into useful forms. The energy that is absorbed by the sun can be used to make solar electricity while the most widely useful product of photosynthesis is oxygen, which is used by all animals here on Earth. In order for animals to survive, they must deliver oxygen to all cells of the body. Finally, both systems require the use of sunlight to begin their processes. Photosynthesis uses chlorophyll...
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... Photosynthesis is an amazing process that transpires inherently and is one that is required for all living organisms to sustain existence on this planet. The efficiency of this process has sparked inventions, such as the semiconductor-based solar cell, that would allow humans to produce energy in a way that is very similar to that of a plant’s photosynthetic process. In this paper, I will compare and contrast the photosynthetic process with that of semiconductor-based solar cells in their capacities to generate energy while also explaining the application of thermodynamics to each process. In order to discuss the photosynthesis and the semiconductor-based solar cell, it is crucial to understand what is involved in each process and how they could be different or the same. Photosynthesis is the process by which plants and some bacteria use the energy from sunlight to produce sugar, which cellular respiration converts into ATP, the fuel used by all living things. The solar cell connects solar energy to convert it into electricity, which is required by all humans. This process can be understood as solar electricity, which is created by using Photovoltaic technology, which is converting solar energy into solar electricity from sunlight. This system is providing sunlight to everyday use constituents such as computers, lighting and electrical equipment. The foremost contrast between photosynthesis and semiconductor-based solar cells is that they require solar energy, or...
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......POWER OF THE SUN ...Power of the Sun Photosynthesis, the process by which light, water, and carbon dioxide are converted to energy and oxygen, is the basic function used by plants worldwide to create their own fuel. For every other creature on the planet that cannot create their own sustainable energy, we rely on a food chain that begins where this process ends (Mader, 2010, p. 87). It is not surprising, then, that mankind has attempted to emulate this formula by harnessing the sun’s power to supply the earth with a clean, sustainable energy source akin to how nature enables an entire kingdom of organisms to do this for themselves. Solar panels, which are essentially a large collection of Photovoltaic (PV) cells, are manufactured to become excited with a certain amount of sunlight, breaking off electrons and either redirecting or collecting these channels of currents into usable circuits or storage units like batteries (Anderson, 2012). Both are similar in their initial design of creating energy out of sunlight, and both do not directly give off any harmful byproducts. Although it has been argued that the manufacture of PV cells and subsequent solar panels is hardly achieved through environmentally-friendly means (and certainly not with green parts), the benefits of the clean and sustainable energy produced far outweighs this temporary blemish in the overall process (Anderson, 2012). On a final note to the similarities...
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...Global warming is a serious problem for our world. Global warming is an increase in the earth's average atmospheric temperature that causes corresponding changes in climate and that may result from the greenhouse effect. Global warming has occurred in the distant past as the result of natural influences, but the term is most often used to refer to the warming predicted to occur as a result of increased emissions of greenhouse gases which cause the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is a process by which thermal radiation from a planetary surface is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gases, and is re-radiated in all directions. Since part of this re-radiation is back towards the surface and the lower atmosphere, it results in an elevation of the average surface temperature above what it would be in the absence of the gases (Parmesun). Greenhouse Gases and the Effect Primary greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone (Taylor). Carbon dioxide, as well as other greenhouse gases, is a very important factor in the vital cycles which sustain life on this planet: plants use carbon dioxide in photosynthesis and release oxygen necessary to maintain the lives of animal species, who through breathing out return carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, completing the cycle (Taylor). Greenhouse effect is a natural process which made life on Earth possible really. Natural sources of atmospheric carbon dioxide include volcanic outgassing, the combustion...
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...Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, is harnessed using a range of ever-evolving technologies such as solar heating, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal electricity, solar architecture and artificial photosynthesis.[1][2] Solar technologies are broadly characterized as either passive solar or active solar depending on the way they capture, convert and distribute solar energy. Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic panels and solar thermal collectors to harness the energy. Passive solar techniques include orienting a building to the Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light dispersing properties, and designing spaces that naturally circulate air. In 2011, the International Energy Agency said that "the development of affordable, inexhaustible and clean solar energy technologies will have huge longer-term benefits. It will increase countries’ energy security through reliance on an indigenous, inexhaustible and mostly import-independent resource, enhance sustainability, reduce pollution, lower the costs of mitigating climate change, and keep fossil fuel prices lower than otherwise. These advantages are global. Hence the additional costs of the incentives for early deployment should be considered learning investments; they must be wisely spent and need to be widely shared" The Earth receives 174 petawatts (PW) of incoming solar radiation (insolation) at the upper atmosphere.[3] Approximately 30% is reflected back to space while the...
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...Renewable Energy Sources The Sustainability Revolution John C. Ayers "In a sense, the fossil fuels are a one-time gift that lifted us up from subsistence agriculture and should eventually lead us to a future based on renewable resources." Kenneth Deffeyes (2001) "I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that." — Thomas Edison, 1931 We cannot create or destroy energy. We can only capture it. The sun provides either directly or indirectly nearly all of the energy available to us. Plants capture solar energy directly through photosynthesis. Fossil fuels contain the energy of sunlight captured hundreds of millions of years ago. Photovoltaic (PV) cells also capture sunlight energy directly. Other energy sources capture the energy of sunlight indirectly. Heat from the sun powers the flowing air and water. We usually capture the kinetic energy of wind and water by using turbines that transfer the energy to an alternator, an electrical generator that produces alternating current. Geothermal energy is different in that it captures flowing heat energy produced by radioactive decay in the earth’s interior. In this chapter we will see that Wind, Water, and Sun (WWS) energy sources are sustainable because they are renewable, clean, safe, and nearly carbon-free. Although they have low energy densities, meaning that they require large areas of land or water to produce energy, they are...
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...green energy collection, combining the conversion of light, heat and wind power. Integrated nanotechnologies enable the nanoleaves to convert solar radiation (light & heat) into electricity. Furthermore, the leaf petiole or the stem, and twigs comprise nano-piezovoltaic material -- these tiny generators produce electricity from movement or kinetic energy caused by wind or falling raindrops. A fundamental flaw in conventional solar cells is that electrons give too much energy by sunlight and lose that energy in heat form, as the electrons move thermally to the bottom of the conduction band. Solar Botanic "hot carrier" solar cells would use quantum dots (i.e., nano-particles) to confine electrons long enough so that they could be extracted before their energy dissipates as heat. With this process of combining the conversion of light, heat and wind, more energy is generated, as the "hot carrier" can now be efficiently used with the implementation of thermo-voltaic cells. The design of the nanoleaves is based on the principles of photosynthesis, a natural process where plants extract the light from solar energy, and along with CO2 from the atmosphere, convert it to starches and oxygen, the oxygen being emitted to the atmosphere. However, nanoleaves development has gone a step further, in that they are capable of harvesting the thermal and light energy from the sun’s energy and convert it to electricity. The stems of the nanoleaves are designed to collect kinetic energy from...
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