Scraps photosynthetic solar cells brush on the roof

Photosynthesis solar cell structure diagram, Source: MIT

Installing solar roofs in your home will one day become very simple. Simply use the grass cuttings in your yard, mix in a cheap chemical solution, and brush the resulting mixture onto the roof. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a way to prepare solar panels that can use local agricultural waste without the use of silicon to make this hybrid solar energy everywhere, cheap and rich, almost anywhere can.

However, what matters first must be done first. Here, Andreas Mershin of MIT has done a lot of fun. His chemical cocktail is the extraction of photosynthetic molecules from the plant material, known as photosystem I, which includes chlorophyll, and also stabilizes them so that they can be coated on glass substrates. This substrate is coated with nanowires and titanium dioxide "sponges" that help convert photons into electrons, which are then exported to form an electric current.

Sunlight shines on the panel, and titanium dioxide and this new material absorb light and convert it into electricity. The nanowires transmit electricity. In essence, Mosin replaces the silicon layer of traditional photovoltaic cells, using slurry photosynthesis molecules. "This is like a nano-forest generating electricity," he said.

Photosynthesis Solar Cell Components and Schematics, Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

But you are waiting for the final result, now is: Mosin's brushable solar panels, the conversion efficiency is only 0.1%. Even to begin to function, solar panels need to be much more efficient than that. To light up a single LED light, brushing the whole house with this cheap solar cell also requires 1% or 2% efficiency.

But it is a starting point. To appeal to people, this technology is very cheap. Mosin now hopes to put his technology to use, and others can use it to make some products. Mosin hopes that both scientists and industry will study how to increase this efficiency.

The ultimate goal is to make a cheap plastic bag, pre-installed with the necessary chemicals, with "a cartoon note, no text," and their idea is to add agricultural waste to the bag and stir it evenly. Then splashed on the glass. Needless to say, such inventions will completely change power generation and can be used in low population density areas. These areas do not have a power grid and they are developing countries.