Scientists have developed a farming method that could replace traditional photosynthesis with a much more efficient system. This ‘electro-agriculture’ could allow plants to grow in the dark and require as much as 94 percent (!) less agricultural land, writes Andrei Stiru in an article published by Scientias.
If you think back to biology lessons in school, you will undoubtedly remember the process of photosynthesis: plants convert sunlight into energy to grow. But what many people do not know is how inefficient this process actually is. Of all the sunlight that a plant receives, only one percent is actually converted into usable energy.
American researchers now believe they have found an alternative that works four times more efficiently. The new system that the researchers have developed works fundamentally differently. Instead of letting plants capture direct sunlight, they use solar panels.
The captured energy is used to initiate a chemical reaction between CO2 and water, which creates acetate. This is a molecule that is related to acetic acid. By genetically modifying plants, they can use this acetate as a food source, instead of doing photosynthesis themselves.
The practical application could be revolutionary: instead of vast agricultural fields, compact, multi-level buildings would be built where plants grow in a fully controlled environment. According to the research team’s calculations, this approach could reduce the amount of land needed for farming by 94 percent. Food production would also be decoupled from seasons or weather conditions.
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