'Living' solar PV cells mimic nature

Researchers have developed the first ‘self-repairing’ solar PV cell. It mimics the way plants capture and use the sun’s energy during photosynthesis, but also how they continually reassemble and reuse their components as they are broken down by the sun’s rays.

Because the cells are regenerated and work as ‘new’, the process could prolong the lifetime of the system indefinitely. And they could be 40% efficient at converting light into electricity – twice that of the best conventional pv systems on the market today.

Bio-mimicry as we have discussed in previous blogs, potentially opens up many new opportunities for the agricultural sector and with solar PV currently looking like a profitable investment, could ‘living’ energy generation technologies be part of our future energy mix?

You can find more information about the research here.

Weak signals posts explore ideas, trends, technologies or behaviour changes that are as yet unrecognised by the mainstream farming industry. They might have a big impact on future farm practices or they might disappear. They help us to challenge assumptions about the future, navigate risk and seize new opportunities. If you spot a weak signal, get in touch and we'll get it on the site.