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Photosynthesis and the Laws of Thermodynamics
Photosynthesis is the systematic process used by plants as a means to harness solar energy. A semiconductor-based solar cell harnesses solar energy to convert it to electricity required by and used by humans. As such, the process of photosynthesis is a contributor to both plant and solar cells. There are numerous similarities and differences between plant and solar cells; however, they both ultimately work to produce energy. A plant cell is a structural and functional unit of a plant and characteristically has rigid cell walls Blankenship, 2011). With the simplest form of a plant cell, it forms a single cell constituting an entire organism, carrying out all life functions. One of the most conspicuous features of the plant cell is the presence of membrane bound organelles referred to as plastids. A photovoltaic or solar cell is a device that captures energy and transforms solar radiation to electricity through the photovoltaic effect. In...
The amount of power generated by the solar cell is contingent upon the amount of natural or sunlight that falls on the solar panels. Weather can also be a determining factor in the amount of energy captured by solar panels (Blankenship, 2011).
Solar cells are man-made and only capture energy, while plants capture it in addition to storing it. Plant cells convert the energy of light into food through a process known as photosynthesis while solar cells (also called photovoltaic cell or photoelectric cell) are asolid state electrical unit that reconstruct the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect (Blankenship,2001); whereas, the biogenic migration of atoms is greatly increased through the numerous biogeochemical cycles that meet during photosynthesis. While differing from plants, solar…
Bibliography
Blankenship, R. (2011). Comparing photosynthetic and photovoltaic efficiencies and recognizing the potential for improvement. Science, 332 (6031), 805-809.
Photosynthesis 1231 Plant Cell and Solar Cell: Similarities and Differences Photosynthesis is that process by which plants harness the solar energy for producing food. These cells help the plants to trap energy from the daylight. This trapped light is converted into other constituents that are then used by the plant to manufacture food. The additional components such as oxygen are released to the atmosphere. After these processes, the light energy is converted
However, unlike chlorophyll, silicon cannot be used for energy-generation in its raw state, and must be processed by humans. Silicon is favored "because it remains a good conductor of electricity even after it has been heated. In order for silicon to be used for solar cells, it must be heavily heated to separate it from oxygen so that it can be further processed" (Stier 2009). Although solar energy is
Photosynthesis & Solar Photovoltaic Technology What is photosynthesis and how does photosynthesis work? How is process of photosynthesis linked to photovoltaic technologies? How are they the same and how are they different? This paper will delve into those issues and provide answers to the questions. Photosynthesis is the process in which green plants create their own food thanks to sunlight shining on them. Animals eat other organisms for their nutrient intake, but
Photosynthesis is the process by the help of which plants make their own food by capturing the solar energy. Solar cell as compared to the plants coverts the sunlight into electric energy in order to be used by the human beings. This paper aims to highlight the differences and similarities between a plant cell and a solar cell in addition to the application of laws of thermodynamics to each system. Laws
Harness of Solar Energy Harnessing of Solar Energy Relation of photosynthesis and the semi-conductor-based solar cell Harnessing of Solar Energy Both photosynthesis and the semi-conductor solar cells are important in regards to the human lifestyle. Photosynthesis helps in the manufacture of carbohydrates that are used for food by humans. Semi-conductor-based solar cells provide energy in the form of electricity that is also consumed by humans. Photosynthesis Photosynthesis in its broader definition is a process that entails
It is not only purely mechanical transfers of energy that follow this law of the conservation of energy, but all biological organisms must abide by this universal law as well. Take, for instance, the process of photosynthesis, which is considered the primary provider energy to almost all of life on Earth. Very simply put, "photosynthesis is the process of converting light energy to chemical energy and storing it in the