Bacteria still have a bad rap in many people’s minds. Hopefully that will change when they lea

Bacteria still have a bad rap in many people’s minds. Hopefully that will change when they learn that they might be able to use bacteria to produce their electricity.

For the first time ever, researchers connected nine biological-solar (bio-solar) cells into a bio-solar panel. Then they continuously produced electricity from the panel and generated the most wattage of any existing small-scale bio-solar cells - 5.59 microwatts.

These bio-solar panels could become an important and permanent power source for remote sites and hard to reach areas. This 3x3 panel built at Binghamton University is scalable and stackable, and can continuously generate electricity by harnessing the photosynthesis and respiratory activities of the bacteria.

Unfortunately, bio-solar is still not nearly as powerful as light-powered solar panels. Solar cells in a 6x10 configuration generate about 200 watts of power, compared to a bio-solar cell’s 0.00003726 watts. But even though this technology is still in its infancy, there is a lot of interesting research yet to come. Seokheun “Sean” Choi, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering in Binghamton University’s Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science, explains:

“It is time for breakthroughs that can maximize power-generating capabilities/energy efficiency/sustainability,” Choi said. “The metabolic pathways of cyanobacteria or algae are only partially understood, and their significantly low power density and low energy efficiency make them unsuitable for practical applications. There is a need for additional basic research to clarify bacterial metabolism and energy production potential for bio-solar applications.”

Be sure to read more about this impressive breakthrough here.