Design of an Architectural Element Generating Hydrogen Energy by Photosynthesis—Model Case of the Roof and Window

摘要

As is well known, the realization of a zero-waste society is strongly desired in a sustainablesociety. In particular, architectural elements that provide an energy-neutral living environmentare attractive. This article presents the novel environmentally friendly architectural elements thatgenerate hydrogen energy by the photosystem II (PSII) solution extracted from waste vegetables. Inthe present work, as an architectural element, the window (PSII window panel) and roof (PSII roofpanel) were fabricated by injecting a PSII solution into a transparent double-layer panel, and theaging properties of the power generation and the appearance of these PSII panels are investigated. Itwas found that the PSII roof can generate energy for 18 days under the sun shining and can actuallydrive the electronic device. In addition, the PSII window, for which light intensity is weaker thanthat for the PSII roof, can maintain power generation for 40 days. These results indicate that the PSIIroof and PSII window become the architectural elements generating energy, although the lifespandepends on the total light intensity. Furthermore, as an additional advantage, the roof and windowpanels composed of the semitransparent PSII panel yield an interior space with the natural color ofthe leaf, which gradually changes over time from green to yellow. Further, it was also found thatthe thermal fluctuation of the PSII window is smaller than that of the typical glass window. Theseresults indicate that the roof and window panels composed of the PSII solution extracted from wastevegetables can be used as the actual architectural elements to produce not only the electrical energybut also the beautiful, transparent natural green/yellow spaces.