Although both solar cells and plant cells harvest energy from the sun, the main difference is that plant cells convert solar energy into chemical energy, whereas man-made solar cells convert solar energy into electrical energy.
Before we get into the differences, let’s talk about their similarities.
Both solar and plant cells absorb photons, or particles of light and energy. These photons then transfer their energy to electrons within each cell. Any given electron can only absorb energy from a specific range of colors within the light spectrum, meaning the right photon must connect with the right electron to be able to transfer its energy. Luckily, the sun emits virtually an infinite amount of photons. Once the electron absorbs the photon’s energy, it is now considered an excited electron. For a more detailed look into the similarities, check out this educative article by Richard Gaughan.
Now, this is when things begin to differ. Here’s a simple breakdown of some of the key differences:
|Plant Cells||Solar (Photovoltaic) Cells|