First algae, now spinach to be green energy source

The Washington Examiner ^ | April 25, 2012 | Joel Gehrke

[Free ThinkerNY]

President Obama recently touted algae as a potential source of energy, and now the Environmental Protection Agency has invested in converting spinach into an energy source.

The EPA awarded a $90,000 grant over the weekend to Vanderbilt University students "who designed a biohybrid solar panel that substitutes a protein from spinach for expensive silicon wafers that are energy intensive to produce, and is capable of producing electricity."

The team of engineering students -- Eric Dilbone, Phil Ingram, Trevan Locke, Paul McDonald and Jason Ogg -- "also won the Marketplace Innovation Award from Paladin Capital, a private equity firm, and the Student Choice Award, a special nod from their peers in competition," according to Vanderbilt.

The idea is that "a miniature bio-cell can produce minute electricity from Photosystem I (PSI), the protein in plant chloroplasts that converts light to electrochemical energy."

[treetopsandroofs]

“Hey, if it works for Popeye!”

It also works for Olive Oyl, here is one of my favorites:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VM8bvTkj-M

[1_Rain_Drop]

Next he’ll come up with something from the Flinstones while getting inspired by the Jetsons.

[JohnBovenmyer]

Don’t forget Bluto’s legal policy.