5/9/2026 at 3:48:28 AM
> Because these algae are photosynthetic ... "We’re storing carbon while we’re producing light"The circle of light! Perpetual illumination! Let the algae do photosynthesis using their own light output as energy!
What's happening, chemically? Let's see ... it's luciferin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Luciferin_Light_Emission_... Isn't that CO2 being emitted on the right, there?
by card_zero
5/9/2026 at 5:45:19 AM
I think they mean the algae is in sunlight during the day and growing, producing light only at night.by shellfishgene
5/9/2026 at 6:03:32 AM
Could be. So over the mentioned four weeks, the algae is reproducing more cells in sunlight, and emitting light at night, while gradually wearing out in some way and "retaining 75% of their brightness". Then at the end of the month you have a bucket of tired algae, and that's the stored carbon. I don't know what you do with it. You probably shouldn't chuck it in a river. Its likely fate is methane, wherever you put it.by card_zero
5/9/2026 at 6:09:33 AM
That sounds kinda like carbon capture, but decentralized to these light nodesby californical
5/9/2026 at 8:27:03 AM
It seems to me that it has the same problem as carbon capture, which is how to make the result inert, or which deep hole to pump it into. Two people apparently silently disagreed with this, I wonder what was bothering them?by card_zero
5/9/2026 at 10:41:12 AM
Unlike artificial carbon capture, natural carbon capture like algae here become insect/worm/bird feed or manure/coal.by kang
5/9/2026 at 11:58:45 PM
“Hello, I’m from the algae company. I came to replace your tired algae with a fresh one.”by jurgenburgen
5/9/2026 at 8:53:43 AM
if the output is consistent, could be used for producing biofuel or plastic.by gostsamo
5/9/2026 at 9:08:39 AM
[dead]by aaron695
5/9/2026 at 4:26:28 PM
[dead]by ashoeafoot