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, which can be found in green leaves, to absorb energy from the sun and solar cells use photovoltaic cells to absorb light.

Even though both systems are similar, they are also quite different. One way they differ is by their forms of production. Photosynthesis is a natural process as the plants are able to gather the energy naturally and convert it while solar energy is