Algae biocells that run on light for six years

Dezeen reported on 22 July 2026 that biodesigner Lucia Giron, working with the University of Cambridge's Department of Biochemistry, has built prototype batteries powered by photosynthesis. Cyanobacteria inside the cells convert light and carbon dioxide into a continuous electrical current, and in laboratory conditions the process has run for at least six years without harming the organisms. Giron graduated from the biodesign master's programme at Central Saint Martins in 2023 and developed the prototypes with engineer Lifu Tan over two and a half years.

The biophotovoltaic units combine a transparent housing, a semi-permeable membrane for gas exchange and a filamentous electrode, with a removable front plate for recycling. Three demonstrators exist so far: a display cell, a clock radio and a temperature sensor. The panels remain larger than the disposable batteries they aim to replace, though the team expects miniaturisation as the spin-out company e-Pho develops. The interesting problem is not the chemistry but the habit it demands: a power source that is alive has to be kept alive.