Researchers at the Physics Center of the School of Sciences at the University of Minho (UMinho), in Portugal, have developed a device that can reproduce photosynthesis to generate energy. The product, inspired by nature, absorbs solar energy converting it into electricity.
The objective, according to Sara Núñez-Sánchez, responsible for the research, which currently has nine partners from five countries and which has already raised 3.6 million euros from the European Union’s Pathfinder Program, is to facilitate adaptation to the changes caused by the climate crisis.
According to the Spanish Superior Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), a partner in the project, the device will feature nanometric structures and also properties necessary for the absorption and transport of energy (in order to produce electricity) and thermal control (to cool without wasting energy, replicating the process that the Earth does in the desert, for example).
As UMinho announced, the device that can reproduce photosynthesis will be applied to the surfaces of objects as if they were paint. With this, they intend to cover urban elements, from cars to houses, which will be capable of producing energy while controlling their temperature, adapting to the climatic needs of each region.
“It could be a solution to many current energy problems and several of the challenges of the UN 2030 Agenda”, said Sara Núñez-Sánchez. “We will lay the foundations for a new technology that will impact areas beyond energy management technologies, such as how we transport information in a more sustainable way, thus reducing our dependence on critical materials,” he said. .
( source: Katiuscia Mizokami/Digital agro )
