How big is an AA battery and can power an ARM Cortex M0+ for six months? Well… maybe AA batteries, but that’s definitely not worth mentioning. But researchers at Cambridge have Build blue-green algae cells He can do the job.
As you might expect, algae need light, because they produce energy through photosynthesis. However, unlike conventional solar cells, algae continue to produce energy in the dark at least for a while. It is assumed that algae store energy during the day and release it at night to survive naturally occurring periods of darkness.
Generating energy from photosynthesis is not a new idea because photosynthesis releases electrons. A typical cell contains gold electrodes and a kind of proton exchange membrane. You can watch the video below from Cambridge about generating electricity from photosynthesis. Keep in mind, of course, that the Cortex M0+ is capable of operating at very low power. Don’t look to an algae powered spot welder any time soon.
People tend to focus on electricity as energy, but there are other ways to make use of photosynthesis. For example, we looked at algae fuel chicken hole In the past. Not to mention we saw algae getting used to it robot power In a new, non-electric way.
–
