Leaves that float, shine with the sun… and create clean energy! It seems like magic, but it’s a real project being developed by scientists in Switzerland. These “hybrid solar leaves” imitate the function of plant leaves, but instead of making food, they produce hydrogen, a type of clean fuel that could help us take care of the planet. And the best part: they work using only sunlight, air, and a bit of humidity.
Do you want to know how they do it? Keep reading and discover how science is creating leaves that could change the future of energy!
What are hybrid solar leaves?
Imagine a leaf that doesn’t grow on a tree, but was created by scientists. And now imagine that this leaf, using only sunlight and moisture from the air, can create clean energy that doesn’t pollute. This is an invention that is already being studied by scientists in Switzerland, at a university called EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne).
This invention is called hybrid solar leaves or also “artificial leaves”, because they work by imitating what real tree leaves do—only using materials made by humans.
How do these work?
Natural leaves do a process called photosynthesis, which uses sunlight to turn water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and food for the plant. Artificial leaves copy that process, but instead of making food, they create hydrogen, a gas that can be used as clean fuel. To do this, the scientists designed a device that:
- Takes moisture from the air (it doesn’t need liquid water).
- Uses sunlight to trigger a chemical reaction.
- Splits water into hydrogen and oxygen.
- The hydrogen can be stored and used as energy.
Why is it so special?
What makes these leaves unique is that:
- They don’t have to be submerged in water like other similar technologies.
- They can float on the surface of lakes or reservoirs, using the surrounding humidity.
- They help reduce water evaporation, which is useful for conserving it.
- They can keep working even if the climate changes, because they only need humid air and sunlight.
Thanks to these features, this invention doesn’t harm the environment and could be used in many different places.
Who created this invention?
The team is led by a scientist named Kevin Sivula. Together with other experts, they developed this device with a special structure, which includes transparent and porous electrodes. This allows the device to absorb moisture from the air and let sunlight through so the process can work.
The research is part of a European program called Sun-to-X, which looks for new ways to create energy using sunlight.
Are they being used yet?
For now, hybrid solar leaves are still in the laboratory stage. This means scientists are testing and improving them, but they are not yet ready to be used in the real world on a large scale.
However, the good news is that the materials used are easy to adapt, so in the future, many of these leaves could be manufactured.
How much hydrogen can they produce?
These leaves have a solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of around 12%. That means from 100% of the solar energy they receive, they can turn about 12% into chemical energy (hydrogen). Even though this is not as high as other technologies that use liquid water, the design floats, doesn’t pollute, and doesn’t draw water directly, which has many advantages.
Why is this important for the future?
More and more countries are looking for ways to use clean energy, and hydrogen is a great option because it doesn’t produce harmful gases when used as fuel.
If these leaves can produce hydrogen in a clean and simple way, we could have a new energy source for:
- Transportation like buses or trains.
- Industries that currently pollute a lot.
- Energy systems in places where electricity is hard to access.
Can you imagine a lake covered by these floating leaves while they produce energy? Science is close to making it happen.