Maker Faire Bay Area 2024
Living Solar Panels
Home: California, United States
Living Solar Panels is the new, truly green renewable energy source. Prickly pear cacti undergo a different kind of photosynthesis than most other plants, resulting in the creation and breakdown of an acid. Because cacti are opaque, photosynthesis happens independently on each side of the cactus, resulting in acid concentration differences. This difference forms an electro-chemical gradient that we measure as voltage. Stop by to learn more about this unique photosynthesis and how we are charging batteries by harvesting this electricity that naturally occurs in living prickly pear cacti! You'll also learn how changing light conditions and linking multiple cactus stems together can power small electronics. Move over potato clock, hello cactus energy!
https://sites.google.com/ucsc.edu/living-solar-panels
Maker
Living Solar Panels
Living Solar Panels is an interdisciplinary student team in the Environmental Studies department at UC Santa Cruz. The team is managed by PhD Candidate Charlie Chesney and advised by Dr. Michael Loik. Undergraduate students come from environmental, biology, and engineering departments.
What Inspired You to Make This?
We need more renewable energy and less fossil fuels to address climate change. Solar and wind energy are great options, but they inhibit wildlife movement and decrease biodiversity when birds and bats collide with infrastructure. Cactus-electricity could be a new renewable energy source that does not harm bats and birds. It also offers the potential to harvest both crops and electricity on the same plot of land. They also remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, potentially becoming a carbon negative electricity source.
