Alternative To Traditional Solar Cells

Who hasn’t dreamed of being able to fuel their cars or warm their homes, generating power with everyday run of the mill garbage, just like Doc Brown in Back To the Future. It sure would make things easier financially on an individual basis and on a global scale. What sounds like futuristic dreaming could in actuality be right around the corner. Scientists are currently working on combining photosynthesis, the manner in which plants use sunlight to break apart water and CO2 to release oxygen and build food, with photovoltaic devices which use semiconducting material like silicon in a related way, with incoming photons knocking loose electrons to generate electricity. Right now the amount of electricity produced through this method is minimal, but delving into the sheer possibility of this type of power lowers barriers to this type of research, hopefully making progress in improving its efficiency move much more quickly. Think of it, being able to use anything green - grass clippings, tree trimmings, maybe even that waste that you have to pay to have hauled away, to get affordable low tech electricity. The future is certainly looking bright.