Eco Factor: New chlorophyll could allow photovoltaic panels to harvest infrared light.
Researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia have discovered a new kind of chlorophyll found in stromatolites that can enable next-gen solar panels to harvest infrared radiation in sunlight to produce electricity. Stromatolites are among the most primitive life forms – with fossil records stretching back over 3.4 billion years.
The Australian research team went looking interesting chlorophyll in the stromatolites because the water in which they live filter outs much of the visible light that reaches the stromatolites cyanobacteria. The team found a completely new type of chlorophyll – chlorophyll f, which is made by an unnamed filamentous bacterium.
Since half of the light that comes from the sun is in infrared wavelengths, photovoltaic manufacturers can benefit from this new discovery. While the Australian research team aims to learn from the stromatolites to design better solar panels, a team of researchers at the MIT think that they can directly use the chlorophyll to make photovoltaic panels that can harvest energy from the infrared spectrum as well.
Via: New Scientist
