now the spread of green algae is a
growing problem here in South Korea the
algae pollutes waterways and kills the
local ecosystem however a way to harness
it in a much more positive way has just
been discovered a team of Korean
researchers say they figured out a way
to use algae to generate energy
electricity Jo Seung Min reports local
scientists at Yonsei University have
come up with a way to use green algae to
generate electricity the team developed
the method by looking at the way plants
use photosynthesis plants produce energy
by absorbing and converting sunlight
during photosynthesis a small amount of
electrons are scattered by water inside
the plants because it uses solar energy
photosynthesis is highly efficient using
that model we can develop a technology
to convert solar power into electricity
extracting the electricity out of water
is the key and that is exactly why green
algae which lives in water is a perfect
fit the algae are put on a special film
plate made to absorb the plants energy
and nano needles are used to extract
electricity from them a bit of algae
smaller than an average adult palm is
enough to power a light bulb industry
experts say the method is still in a
primitive stage but could become the
next big thing in solar power the team
is currently working on improving it to
generate more electricity to low mean
Arirang news
