Energy model based on solar potential and the production of electrical energy through living plants’ photosynthesis

• Published in: Clean energy (Online) 2024-06, Vol.8 (3), p.116-126
• Main Author: Rodriguez Martinez, Raymond Daniel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2515-4230; 2515-396X
• DOI: 10.1093/ce/zkae029

Abstract Developing a sustainable energy model is imperative considering the current trend towards decarbonizing sectors worldwide. For this purpose, Venezuela was used as a reference to propose an energy model focused on taking advantage of plant photosynthesis through microbial–vegetable fuel cells together with an agro-photovoltaic system to enhance energy and agricultural production. Energy production from the cells was estimated using an average power density of 264 mW/m2 over 4% of the areas destined for crops in the entire Venezuelan region, obtaining an annual production of 19.889 GWh/year. In contrast, the energy production of the agro-photovoltaic system was modelled using PVsyst software on 50% of the area used for the cells distributed throughout the states of Anzoátegui, Guárico, Monagas and Portuguesa according to their meteorological conditions, solar irradiation and agricultural activity, resulting in 3 703 417 GWh/year. The resulting whole system proved to be able to cover >10 times the installed electricity generation capacity at a national level and, together with the tremendous scalability of the microbial fuel cells, it shows that Venezuela has a high potential for the production and distribution of clean energy. A sustainable energy model for Venezuela is proposed that combines microbial fuel cells powered by plants and an agro-photovoltaic system. The energy output is estimated based on power density and land area suitable for both systems. This combination is predicted to generate significantly more power than Venezuela’s current capacity. Graphical Abstract Graphical Abstract