Protein from Jellyfish for Better Solar Panels?

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Researchers at the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, are planning to produce inexpensive solar panels using protein from jellyfish. The photovoltaic device will be based onthe use of green fluorescent protein (GFP) from the jellyfish Aequorea Victoria. The process starts by depositing two aluminum electrodes with a tiny gap between them onto a silicon dioxide substrate.

A droplet of green fluorescent protein is then added on top afterwhich the protein assembles itself strands between the electrodes. Onexposure to ultraviolet light, the GFP absorbs photons to generateelectricity. The technology in use seems quite similar to the one usedon dye-sensitized solar cells, however, unlike those Grätzel cells, theGFP cells don’t require the addition of expensive materials, such astitanium dioxide.

Moreover, GFP can also be used to create a biological fuel cell that generates electricity without the need for an external source of light. Here the team uses light emitted from a mixture of chemicals to produce light, which is then used to produce electricity.

Via: New Scientist