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A New Energy Source from Pea Plants

Breakthrough:
A potential new model for green energy production based on the complex membrane structure of a vegetable. It could revolutionize the solar energy field by allowing us to produce clean energy with much greater efficiency.

Business:
Department of Biochemistry, Tel Aviv University, Israel

The Story:
We have a powerful energy source right above our heads but we are still not able to harness as much energy as we would like from the sun. Solar panels work well in desert regions but they are inefficient and currently do not contribute much to our energy needs. And so many scientists all over the world are looking to the plant kingdom for possible solutions.

In his search for green energy alternatives Prof. Nathan Nelson of Tel Aviv University's Department of Biochemistry looked no further than his dinner plate, and the humble pea.

Energy Efficient Plants

This common vegetable can turn sunlight into fuel with a 100 percent yield. It
achieves this through a sophisticated structure called the Photosystem I (PSI) complex which Prof. Nelson was able to isolate from pea leaves.

When photons of light are absorbed by the plant they energize electrons which are used to support any number of biochemical reactions such as sugar production. It is an extraordinarily energy efficient process that can be adapted for our needs.

“Looking at the most complicated membrane structure found in a plant, we deciphered a complex membrane protein structure which is the core of our new proposed model for developing 'green' energy,” said Prof. Nelson.

Trying to Keep Up with Nature

The aim of his research is to try and achieve the same energy yield as a pea plant when it converts sunlight to sugars in green leaves.

The biochemist was able to isolate the PSI complex from pea leaves and crystallize it to determine its structure. A feat he managed with high resolution.

Power of the Pea

Prof. Nelson was able to describe the structure in intricate detail, and along with his colleagues harnessed some of the power of the pea plant after placing PSI crystals on a gold-plated surface. Upon illumination those plates generated 10 volts of power.

Whilst that amount of juice is not going to light up a city let alone solve the energy crisis it could, says Prof. Nelson be used to meet small-scale solar power needs.

Applications

The PSI reaction center is a pigment-protein complex that converts light energy into another energy form such as chemical energy. There are the thousands of these reaction centers packed inside the crystals and they could be used as electric components in an array of different devices.

However, for the moment, and whilst further research continues, Prof. Nelson suggests that PSI crystals could be illuminated for use as small battery chargers or as parts of more efficient man-made solar cells.

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