THE PHOTOSYNTHETIC CONVERSION PROCESS We show in this paper that the primary photosynthetic reaction resembles closely the operation of the solar cell. It is found, in particular, that the reaction rate can be written in a form similar to the Shockley solar cell equation. The reaction produces both chemical and electrical energy and the way this energy is divided into these two components makes it possible to optimise the amount of power produced: in other words, the photosynthetic organism can

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... track the maximum power point. An estimate is also given of the maximum energy that can be produced, and of the different losses that limit this amount. The fundamental photosynthetic reaction in purple bacteria can be represented as an electron transport across a photosynthetic membrane (bacterial wall). It is responsible for the creation of two energy sources for the bacterium: the electrostatic potential, and the proton gradient across the membrane. These are energy sources for the bacterium, and are utilised by other enzymes embedded in the membrane to produce the final chemical product, a molecule of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Bacterial membrane