Support UoE iGEM's goal for a sustainable future

We are a team of undergraduate and master students at the University of Edinburgh participating in the 2023 International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition.

With the increasing importance of sustainability for our future, we've set our sights on taking renewable energy to the next level, with bacteria-driven solar panels.

You might be asking, what's the difference between the solar panels being used today and what we're trying to develop?

1. A vast majority (95%) of current solar panels use silicon as a semiconductor. However, mining transporting, and processing of the raw material is extremely energy and labour-intensive. Temperatures of up to 2000 degrees celcius are required to purify the silicon and for every 50 000 tons produced, 500 000 tons of carbon dioxide gas are released into the atmosphere.

Our solution: While precious metals do not grow on trees, bacteria do! We aim to replace the silicon in solar panels with cyanobacteria. In doing so, we provide a renewable material that is less labour-intensive to produce and much more carbon friendly. We are also engineering the cyanobacteria for carbon capture so that we can achieve a carbon-negative solar panel.

2. Solar cells require plenty of space, often necessitating the destruction of fields for large-scale installations, incurring a heavy ecological burden to their surroundings.

Our solution: Bacterial-driven panels can co-exist with their ecosystem, minimizing ecological disruption. Furthermore, we have modified the bacteria to produce "pollen-like" particles that would provide pollinating bees nectar, going so far as to benefit the surrounding ecosystem rather than harm it.

Donations will go toward funding research, enabling our project presentation during the iGEM Grand Jamboree in Paris.

Any amount given will be greatly appreciated in our journey of continuing the representation of Edinburgh University as a cornerstone for research and development in the sciences!