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Interestingly, solar panels and LEDs are more efficient than plants directly in the sun, due to the spectrum inefficiency of the green light absorbing dye.
by namibj 5y ago
Interestingly, solar panels and LEDs are more efficient than plants directly in the sun, due to the spectrum inefficiency of the green light absorbing dye.
- bregma 5y agoPhotosynthesis uses energy in the red part of the visible spectrum. That's why they look green. They do not absorb the green light, they reflect it. Plants store their solar energy in a hydrogen-carbon bond for storage. To compare a plant with a solar panel and LED you need to also include the storage technology, which is usually batteries. Because plants do not as a rule glow brightly, a more apt comparison would involve, say, a locomotion system. Comparing the efficiency of, perhaps, a car that drives at night powered by a solar/battery system vs. a plant/combustion system. It would be an interesting experiement.
- namibj 5y agoNo, the comparison is between a glass roof and a solar roof with LEDs underneath. And yes, I know the dye doesn't absorb green. It's still a green dye; last I checked we name dyes by their reflected color.
- cycomanic 5y agoI think your post and the reply of the previous poster is a perfect example of why comma's are important. You meant a "green, light-absorbing dye" (using hyphens to make the distinction clearer), the previous poster understood "a green-light absorbing dye".
- robbedpeter 5y agoLet's eat grandma!