Important Innovations

Solar Energy Even on Cloudy Days Source:  Stock Image of Solar Panels Bacteria Powered Solar Cells University of British Columbia scientists have created a low-cost, sustainable way to build a solar cell using bacteria that can harvest light.  What's remarkable is the bacteria can harvest energy from light even on cloudy days. Biogenics Solar cells are the building blocks of solar panels.  They do the work of changing light into electrical current.  The bacteria solar cells are called "biogenic" because they are made of living organisms.  The hope is that biogenic solar cells can become as efficient and even more efficient than synthetic cells used in conventional solar panels. Shedding Light In the past, efforts to build biogenic solar cells have focused on extracting the natural dye that bacteria use for photosynthesis.  That process was costly and complex.  Also it involved toxic solvents that can cause the dye to degrade. British Columbia Breakthroug