Some greenhouses could produce electricity through the use of transparent solar panels. The energy comes primarily from the optical wavelengths that plants do not use during photosynthesis. This is the outcome of a study by researchers of the engineering, plant biology, and physics departments at North Carolina State University.
One of the authors of the study, Brendan O'Connor, explained: "plants only use a specific range of optical wavelengths during photosynthesis. The idea is to create a solar greenhouse that makes use of the unused wavelengths to create energy." Brendan O'Connor is an associate professor of mechanical and aviation engineering at the North Carolina State University. "We can make this work with the use of organic solar cells, which will allow us to adjust the spectrum of wavelengths that will be absorbed by the solar cell. In this way we can use the wavelengths that plants do not need, and which would otherwise go to waste. However, until now it was unclear how much energy these organic solar cells could generate."
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Source: Xiamen Street News
