Artificial leaf photovoltaic cell

Can photoelectrochemical artificial leaves reduce the cost of solar fuel production?

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) artificial leaves hold the potential to lower the costs of sustainable solar fuel production by integrating light harvesting and catalysis within one compact device. However, current deposition techniques limit their scalability 1, whereas fragile and heavy bulk materials can affect their transport and deployment.

Could a new photovoltaic leaf be the future of solar energy?

Photovoltaic solar energy is obtained by converting sunshine into electricity – and researchers from Imperial have developed a new leaf-like design with increased efficiency. The new photovoltaic leaf (PV-leaf) technology uses low-cost materials and could inspire the next generation of renewable energy technologies.

What is an artificial leaf?

The artificial leaf is a thin sheet of semiconducting silicon — the material most solar cells are made of — which turns the energy of sunlight into a flow of wireless electricity within the sheet.

Can artificial leaves reduce solar energy costs?

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative Photoelectrochemical (PEC) artificial leaves hold the potential to lower the costs of sustainable solar fuel production by integrating light harvesting and catalysis within one compact device.

How efficient is a solar cell based on a leaf?

At present, the leaf can redirect about 2.5 percent of the energy of sunlight into hydrogen production in its wireless form; a variation using wires to connect the catalysts to the solar cell rather than bonding them together has attained 4.7 percent efficiency. (Typical commercial solar cells today have efficiencies of more than 10 percent).

Could a 'artificial leaf' turn sunlight into a fuel?

Researchers led by MIT professor Daniel Nocera have produced something they’re calling an “artificial leaf”: Like living leaves, the device can turn the energy of sunlight directly into a chemical fuel that can be stored and used later as an energy source.