Photovoltaic Panels for the Cultivation of Microalgae

Due to the environmental concerns that are present today, the cultivation of microalgae using photovoltaic panels is being explored. Until now microalgae has been cultivated in open systems such as ponds, but our research is focused for the growth and harvest of these microalgae in a closed system. Our objective is to design a photo bioreaction system. It includes the use of photovoltaic panels to supply the electricity for highly efficient illumination arrays thus inducing the growth of microalgae in the tank. Different types of light were studied for this system including fluorescent light bulbs and LED light. It was concluded that flashing light from blue LEDs is a promising illumination method for indoor algal cultivation using photobioreactors.