If? the? smartest? energy? source? is? one? that's? abundant,? cheap? and? clean,? then? plants? are? a? lot
smarter than humans. Over billions of years, they developed perhaps the most efficient power supply in
the world:? photosynthesis,? or? the? conversion? of? sunlight,? carbon? dioxide? and water? into? usable? fuel,
emitting useful oxygen in the process.?
In? the? case? of? plants? (as? well? as? algae? and? some? bacteria),? "usable? fuel"? is? carbohydrates,
proteins and fats. Humans, on the other hand, are looking for liquid fuel to power cars and electricity to
run refrigerators. But that doesn't mean we can't look to photosynthesis to solve our dirty-, expensive-,
dwindling-energy woes. For years, scientists have been? trying? to come up with a way? to use? the same
energy system that plants do but with an altered end output.?
Using? nothing? but? sunlight? as? the? energy? input,? plants? perform massive? energy? conversions,
turning 1,102 billion tons (1,000 billion metric tons) of CO2 into organic matter, i.e., energy for animals
in the form of food, every year [source: The promise of artificial photosynthesis by Philip Hunter]. And
that's only using 3 percent of the sunlight that reaches Earth [source: Scientists seek to make energy as
plants do By Robert S. Boyd].?
The energy available in sunlight is an untapped resource we've only begun to really get a handle
on.? Current? photovoltaic-cell? technology,? typically? a? semiconductor-based? system,? is? expensive,? not
terribly efficient, and only does instant conversions from sunlight to electricity -- the energy output isn't
stored? for? a? rainy? day? (although? that? could? be? changing:? See? "Is? there? a way? to? get? solar? energy? at
night?").? But? an? artificial? photosynthesis? system? or? a? photo? electrochemical? cell? that? mimics? what
happens in plants could potentially create an endless, relatively inexpensive supply of all the clean "gas"
and electricity we need to power our lives -- and in a storable form, too.
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