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ScienceIsSexy420 t1_jack1ov wrote

Reply to comment by kinyutaka in ELI5: What's hard about copying photosynthesis or just using plants for power by No_Dust_5360

Photosynthesis does indeed generate free electrons, these electrons are used to power redox reactions which are used to synthesize starches. This is indeed an area of ongoing research, one of the professors at the institution I just graduated from was focusing his research on this very topic. Both plants and animals generate free electrons during metabolism, and use these electrons to do things. Harvesting the electrons is quite feasible

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kinyutaka t1_jack5sx wrote

Harvesting the electrons might be feasible, but is it efficient enough for our purposes?

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ScienceIsSexy420 t1_jackcdp wrote

As per my understanding, it is continuously harvesting those free electrons that is the limit of our ability and the focus of the current Research into the topic. Currently no, the materials that we use to harvest the energy generated do not have the lifespan to be of significant use. But the point is that this is a goal worth pursuing further

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kinyutaka t1_jaclj18 wrote

I am not trying to say that it isn't worth trying. Only that it is clearly not good enough for mass market.

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