Solar cell model for electron transport in photosynthesis

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 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.