How efficient are plants at converting solar energy

What is the power conversion efficiency of solar cells?

The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of solar cells is a measure of the output of electrical energy compared with the amount of input from solar photons. Although the PCE of multijunction solar cells has reached 47.1% 25, most commercial solar cells have a PCE of just ~20% 26.

Could a new way of comparing plants and photovoltaic cells improve photosynthesis?

A team of scientists has devised a new way to more accurately compare how efficiently plants and photovoltaic, or solar, cells convert sunlight into energy, which could ultimately help researchers improve plant photosynthesis, a critical first link to enhancing the global supply of food, feed, fiber and bioenergy.

Are solar cells better than plants?

Plants convert the sun's energy into chemical energy, whereas solar cells produce electricity. The scientists, including Agricultural Research Service (ARS) research leader Donald Ort in the agency's Global Change and Photosynthesis Research Unit in Urbana, Ill., identified specific designs that hold excellent promise for improving efficiency.

What is the difference between a plant and a photovoltaic system?

Comparing plant and photovoltaic systems is a challenge. Although both processes harvest energy from sunlight, they use that energy in different ways. Plants convert the sun's energy into chemical energy, whereas solar cells produce electricity.

Are photovoltaic systems more efficient than photosynthetic systems?

We have sought here to make the most consistent comparison possible between the fundamental solar energy storage efficiencies of photovoltaic and photosynthetic systems. In this context, the efficiency advantage clearly goes to photovoltaic systems.

Can solar cells convert sunlight into energy?

Credit: Institute for Genomic Biology/University of Illinois. Scientists now have a way to more accurately compare how efficiently plants and photovoltaic, or solar, cells convert sunlight into energy, thanks to findings by a research consortium that included a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist.