As the future of climate change looms large, the search for efficient, renewable energy sources is becoming more and more important.
Solar energy is seen as an important component of our clean energy future. With a little inspiration from nature, solar energy can become a more promising prospect than ever before.
Photosynthesis is the solar energy harvesting process in which plants take in sunlight, carbon dioxide and water and convert them into energy (in the form of sugar) and oxygen. The traditional view of photosynthesis is that long-wavelength light (far-red and infrared light, with wavelengths longer than 700 nanometers) consists of low-energy photons. We used to think that light of this long wavelength was not "strong" enough to produce oxygen. In other words, we thought that photosynthesis could only happen with light that we humans could see.