On the Energy Trail: Researchers Find New Details Following the Path of Solar Energy During Photosynthesis

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This simplified schematic depicts the harvesting of sunlight (photons) and the transfer of this energy via pigment-protein complexes to a photosynthetic reaction center. (Image from the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center)
This simplified schematic depicts the harvesting of sunlight (photons) and the transfer of this energy via pigment-protein complexes to a photosynthetic reaction center. (Image from the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center)

Imagine a technology that would not only provide a green and renewable source of electrical energy, but could also help scrub the atmosphere of excessive carbon dioxide resulting from the burning of fossil fuels. That’s the promise of artificial versions of photosynthesis, the process by which green plants have been converting solar energy into electrochemical energy for millions of years. To get there, however, scientists need a far better understanding of how Nature does it, starting with the harvesting of sunlight and the transporting of this energy to electrochemical reaction centers.


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