RE: Solar power's "bright future" [ may be brighter thanks to us aping the quantum trickery of certain algae (cryptophytes specifically)]

Wed, 18 Jun 2014 21:37:25 -0700 

 

 

From: [email protected] 
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of LizR
Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2014 3:45 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Solar power's "bright future" [ may be brighter thanks to us aping 
the quantum trickery of certain algae (cryptophytes specifically)]

 

This geezer seems to think solar is good to go...

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/24317-the-turning-point-new-hope-for-the-climate



Liz – the numbers clearly show that not only is solar good to go; it is going. 
Global installed capacity is growing at a very rapid rate; per unit costs will 
continue to come down (and in some favorable areas it is already becoming the 
low cost supply). 

Solar PV is very much of a knowledge industry and benefits from a Moore’s Law 
type of geometric growth (and fall in per unit price as well). There are some 
significant potential solar PV revolutions on the near horizon too. For example 
solar cells that harvest in more of the bandwidths of the spectrum including 
down into the infrared as well (they would continue to produce some power even 
when covered by light cloud cover) – such layered cells (tuned to different 
band gaps) could harvest a greater portion of the solar flux.

Solar technology (across various orthogonal dimensions) is advancing and 
rapidly so – driven by the same congruence of technologies that is also driving 
informatics. Compare the speed of evolution of solar PV technology and 
techniques with say the rate of technological change in the coal sector. One is 
moving very fast the other by comparison is sitting still.

The scales are tipping; the era of fossil energy is drawing to a close… and 
sooner than most people realize. 

Chris

 

 

 

On 19 June 2014 10:15, 'Chris de Morsella' via Everything List 
<[email protected]> wrote:

 

 

  _____  

From: Russell Standish <[email protected]>
To: [email protected] 
Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2014 12:31 AM
Subject: Re: Solar power's "bright future" [ may be brighter thanks to us aping 
the quantum trickery of certain algae (cryptophytes specifically)]


On Tue, Jun 17, 2014 at 10:27:48PM -0700, meekerdb wrote:
> 
> What is baffling to me is that photosynthesis in algae relies on
> absorption in the red and blue part of the spectrum, but reflects
> the big green part in between??  Why didn't it evolve another
> pigment to capture that in order to live in low light conditions?
> 

>>The idea I've heard is that the original photosynthesiser absorbed the
green portion of the spectrum, and then the current photosynthesiser
came along later, and made use of the remaining bits of the spectrum
(red+blue), and ultimately outcompeted the earlier photosynthesis
system.

 

Interesting! Did not hear about this hypothesis... so thanks for sharing. I 
have also wondered why the green spectrum is not being used in photosynthesis.



>>I gather the earlier photosynthetic system might still be around - the
so-called purple bacteria, which use a different photosynthesis process
producing sulfur, not oxygen.

This also explain why the atmosphere was not oxygenated until ca 2Gya.

>>But it does illustrate the way evolution can get stuck in a local
optima. And also further evidence that any purported Creator must be
completely incompetent.

 

Evolution always must begin with a preexisting platform -- so to speak -- and 
builds on top of it (in an evolutionary way). Take the human brain as an 
example. We remain stuck with the (local optima) of our reptilian brains for 
example, and much of our functioning is still centered in these ancient parts 
of our brain. Evolution needs to live with what it got and build upon it.... 
and human brain anatomy tells this story of hundreds of millions of years of 
tinkering, adapting and adding new systems on top of older preexisting systems 
(as opposed to radical from the ground up re-building).

 

Cheers,

Chris



Cheers

-- 

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Visiting Professor of Mathematics      [email protected]
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Latest project: The Amoeba's Secret 
        (http://www.hpcoders.com.au/AmoebasSecret.html)

 


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