Energy
9 Jun 2023
When it comes to green energy, solar panels are very popular. It has to be said that they are more accessible to the average person - albeit more expensive - than a wind turbine. However, they only have one purpose: to produce green energy. Seaweed panels go further, because as well as producing electricity, they absorb CO2.
On beaches and in aquatic environments, algae are considered by many to be pests. However, these plants are useful in many cases. They can end up on our plates or be used as biofuel. And there is even talk of using them in panels to produce green energy.
Mexican start-up Greenfluidics has succeeded in developing energy-generating panels based on living organisms that suck up carbon dioxide during the process. The concept is not new - algae have already proved that they can be useful for producing energy - but here the start-up has modified the concept to make it more efficient.
Nothing is lost, everything is transformed
The biopanels contain microalgae in an aquatic environment and are fed by a continuous stream of carbon dioxide. By absorbing CO2 and being exposed to sunlight, the biomass is able to photosynthesise and grow, increasing its mass while releasing oxygen. The more sunlight microalgae are exposed to, the faster they will grow. They can capture up to twice their weight in CO2.
Once the algae have 'filled' the panels, some of it is emptied and transformed into a combustible biofuel to power the hot water system of the building on which the panels are installed, for example. Nothing is lost, everything is transformed here.
When it comes to producing energy, it's the water enclosed in the panels that works its magic. When exposed to the sun, the water is heated and it is this heat that is transformed into electricity via a thermoelectric generator.
According to New Atlas, biopanels can sustainably cover up to a third of a building's water-heating energy needs.
A new technology
That's the basic idea, but Mexican start-up Greenfluidics believes that by adding recyclable carbon nanoparticles to the algae water, thermal conductivity will increase tenfold. This could make biopanels even more efficient.
Greenfluidics
The biopanels would produce just as much energy as traditional solar panels, but would also have the added benefit of capturing CO2 and generating oxygen.
And to ensure that its concept appeals to as many people as possible, the young company is banking on innovative designs for its panels, so that they blend in perfectly with modern building architecture. The aim is to regulate the temperature of buildings while generating greater energy savings.
Many questions remain
Although the concept developed by Greenfluidics has won a number of awards, many questions remain, raising doubts as to whether we will ever see them on the roofs and façades of buildings.
How long will these panels last? How often do the algae need replacing? Isn't there a risk of clogging the valves and pipes? What's more, because of the layer of algae, the light coming through the panels is green - wouldn't that be disturbing for the residents?
But the biggest problem with biopanels is certainly the fact that they cannot be used in winter, otherwise the water will freeze in sub-zero temperatures. So this type of panel could only be used in certain climates. That would be one solution to the problem.
There is also the question of cost. Given that this is still a pilot project, covering a building with biopanels could prove extremely costly. This is despite Greenfluidics' claim on its website that "each biopanel can generate up to 328 kWh/m² per year" - which, as New Atlas points out, is still an enormous amount.
Ultimately, the many unanswered questions and (major) negative points of this type of panel suggest that the concept is too complex and too expensive to implement for it to be really interesting, but we might be surprised.