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Solar energy conversion efficiencies in photosynthesis: Minimizing the chlorophyll antennae to maximize efficiency
Open accessAbstract
The theoretical maxima of solar energy conversion efficiencies and productivities in oxygenic photosynthesis are evaluated. These are contrasted with actual measurements in a variety of photosynthetic organisms, including green microalgae, cyanobacteria, C4 and C3 plants. Minimizing, or truncating, the chlorophyll antenna size of the photosystems can improve photosynthetic solar energy conversion efficiency and productivity up to 3-fold. Generation of truncated light-harvesting chlorophyll antenna size (tla) strains, in all classes of photosynthetic organisms would help to alleviate excess absorption of sunlight and the ensuing wasteful dissipation of excitation energy, and to maximize solar-to-product energy conversion efficiency and photosynthetic productivity in high-density mass cultivations. The tla concept may find application in the commercial exploitation of microalgae and plants for the generation of biomass, biofuels, chemical feedstocks, as well as nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals.
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“Microalgae are rapidly growing photosynthetic organisms having potential of transforming 9–10% of solar energy (average sunlight irradiance) into biomass with a theoretical yield of about 77 g/biomass/m2/day which is about 280 ton/ha/year [13, 14].”
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Metadata
- Authors
- Melis, A.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
- Corresponding author
- Melis, Anastasios
- ORCID
- Melis, Anastasios
- Venue
- Plant Science
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2009-10
- Volume
- 177
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 272-280
- ISSN
- 0168-9452 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2088589945
- Cited by
- 796
- References
- 88
- Citations by year
- 2026: 35 · 2025: 42 · 2024: 39 · 2023: 63 · 2022: 56 · 2021: 57 · 2020: 56 · 2019: 61 · 2018: 47 · 2017: 49 · 2016: 61 · 2015: 54 · 2014: 44 · 2013: 47 · 2012: 31
- FWCI
- 11.26
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- escholarship.org
- Locations
- Plant Science (publishedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms
- Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Algal biology and biofuel production
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Plant biochemistry and biosynthesis
- Keywords
- solar energy conversion efficiency, oxygenic photosynthesis, photosynthetic productivity, excitation energy dissipation, microalgae, cyanobacteria, C4 plants, C3 plants, biomass production, biofuels, high-density cultivation
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