[ExI] Plants Apparently Using Quantum Computing (Apr 2007)

[ben]

From: "Lee Corbin" <lcorbin at rawbw.com> wrote:

> BERKELEY, CA - Through photosynthesis, green plants and cyanobacteria are able to transfer sunlight energy to molecular 
> reaction centers for conversion into chemical energy with nearly 100-percent efficiency.

Nearly 100% efficency? LOL.

Are you sure this wasn't published in April? Say, on the 1st?

I think that should be more like "Nearly 1% efficiency". 
Yeah, ok, 'nearly' from the other end. 1.4? Something like that, iirc.

OK, no need to be lazy. Google to the rescue (Scroogle, actually): 1 - 3%

So photosynthesis is /anything but/ efficient at converting sunlight into chemical energy. We can harvest more energy from sunlight than plants can with ppppv (pretty piss-poor photovoltaics). I think we're around the 10% mark already, for commercially available pv, and prototype systems are much higher.

This kind of thing is why my Indian name is Shakes Head Sadly.

ben zaiboc