BioSolar Cells
(Sustainable Energy from Photosynthesis)
ABSTRACT
In present scenario of energy
usage, the prices of fossil fuels
are increasing day-by-day, the
availability of non-renewable fuels
is depleting and pollution is
causing major harm to the
environment and health of living
organisms. There is a crucial
need for using new ecofriendly
and renewable fuels. Bioenergy
production from microalgae has
attracted the most attention as
increasing energy access and
energy security are seen as key
actions for reducing poverty,
and access to modern energy
services as electricity or liquid
fuels is a basic requirement to
improve living standards.
Biophotovoltaics are “living solar
panels” which generate electricity
by capturing sunlight. They are
biological electrochemical
systems that function in a way
similar to microbial fuel cell.
Biophotovoltaics use
photosynthesis of algae and
moss along with light and water to
generate electricity or renewable
energy along with some by-
products. Algae based solar
panels and algae covered lily pads
can play a significant role in
offshore power generation. As
algal cells have excess electrons
being stored inside during
daylight hours, biophotovoltaics
power station can generate
energy during the night also.
One day Poster Presentation
and an expert talk
on
Sustainable / Alternate Energy Sources
Organized by
Department of Electrical Engineering
Madhav Institute of Technology &
Science
CONTACT
Arpita Singh and Akanksha Rajput
Department of Electrical Engineering,MITS Gwalior
INTRODUCTION
BioSolar Cells are natural systems or systems
based on natural processes that use
photosynthesis to convert sunlight into useable
energy. This occurs in many ways, and the
BioSolar Cells Project focuses on three options:
1 Increasing the photosynthetic efficiency of
plants
Outcome: More biomass and higher yields per
given surface area.
2 Direct production of fuels, bypassing the
biomass phase.
Outcome: Photosynthetic cyanobacteria or algae
that produce butanol, for example.
3 Combining natural and technological
components.
Outcome: ‘Artificial Leaves’ that highly efficiently
produce hydrogen gas or syn-gas from solar
energy.
Figure 2.Schematic diagram of biophotovoltaic device
METHODS AND MATERIALS
The biosolar cells work by placing the
cynobacteria onto anode in a chamber. Within
the chamber, the anode and cathode, the
electrodes are seprated by a membrane that
only allows proton through. The anode side of
chamber is filled with water and electrodes are
connected by an external circuit(There is also an
chamber on cathode side)
Whilst the cynobacteria photosynthesize,
electrons and photons are produced in anode
chamber. O2 produced in anode chamber is
released out and is pumped into cathode
chamber. Protons pass to cathode chamber via
membrane. Electrons travel along external
circuit to recombine with proton and O2
As result H2O is made cathode chamber. This
movement of electrons results in current.
Chart 1. Positive light response of BioSolar Cell under 100 kohm resistor
BTech. 2 year
RESULTS DISCUSSION
Althogh the conventional solar cells found many
uses among industries, household etc, But when we
compare them with BioSolar cells which are
extremely new in commercial market and have trivial
uses, it is BioSolar cells which prove to qualify as
both clean and green energy source and along with
this it uses biological material (which can be
sewage also ) for electricity production. BioSolar cell
although qualifies the above parameters
successfully, but it has low efficiency as compared
to conventional solar cells as well as its price is also
high. Other perks of BioSolar cell are its requirement
of less input energy and production of CO2 is also
ample for plants to absorb.
Figure 1. BioSolar Cell
CONCLUSIONS
 Development of high production plants that
are used for both food and feed.
 Cultivation of micro-organisms on large
patches of land or (sea) water that are
currently unusable for biofuel production.
 And then there is the development of solar
collectors that can refuel our cars at night.
Figure 3.
 There are already numerous possibilities and
some applications are within reach. Further
exploration of photosynthesis will result in
new, unexpected options.
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