Researchers in Canada have developed an innovative solar cell which uses bacteria to convert sunlight into energy . The researchers at the University of British Columbia developed a way of genetically engineering bacteria to produce large amounts of lycopene , a natural dye which bacteria use for photosynthesis . It's a costly and complex process that involves toxic solvents and can cause the dye to degrade. By coating the bacteria with a semiconducting substance and incorporating it into a solar cell , they were able to achieve a current density of 0.686 milliamps per square meter , which they say is the highest yet achieved by a biogenic solar cell .
Researchers in Canada have developed an innovative solar cell which uses bacteria to convert sunlight into energy . The researchers at the University of British Columbia developed a way of genetically engineering bacteria to produce large amounts of lycopene , a natural dye which bacteria use for photosynthesis . By coating the bacteria with a semiconducting substance and incorporating it into a solar cell , they were able to achieve a current density of 0.686 milliamps per square meter , which they say is the highest yet achieved by a biogenic solar cell .