ArticleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2021
Photovoltaic-driven microbial protein production can use land and sunlight more efficiently than conventional crops.
Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed.
- Navigating adoption barriers for microbial proteins in future food.Nature communications · 2026Review
- Toward Solar-Powered Growth of AutotrophicJournal of the American Chemical Society · 2026Article
- Comparing meat alternatives for a sustainable food system.NPJ science of food · 2026Article
- Greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions from duckweed cultivation systems using diluted liquid manure.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Isolation of bacteria that catabolize abiotically synthesized tetroses via the formose reaction.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Microbial protein-derived bioplastics from renewable substrates: pathways, challenges, and applications in a circular economy.Environmental science and ecotechnology · 2025Review
- Multistep catalytic abiotic COProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Industrial applicability of enzymatic and whole-cell processes for the utilization of C1 building blocks.Nature communications · 2025Review
- Vertical farming limitations and potential demonstrated by back-of-the-envelope calculations.Plant physiology · 2025Article
- Electro-microbial production techno-economic viability and environmental implications.Nature biotechnology · 2025Article
- Single Cell Protein Production From Ethanol: Model-Based Bioreactor Operation at Industrial Scale.Biotechnology and bioengineering · 2025Article
- Global potential of sustainable single-cell protein based on variable renewable electricity.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Microbial Electrochemical Technologies: Sustainable Solutions for Addressing Environmental Challenges.Advances in biochemical engineering/biotechnology · 2025Review
- Quantitative physiology and biomass composition of Cyberlindnera jadinii in ethanol-grown cultures.Biotechnology for biofuels and bioproducts · 2024Article
- Recent advances and challenges in single cell protein (SCP) technologies for food and feed production.NPJ science of food · 2024Review
- Foods of the Future: Challenges, Opportunities, Trends, and Expectations.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Techno-Economic Assessment of Electromicrobial Production ofEnvironmental science & technology · 2024Article
- Autotrophic growth ofeLife · 2024Article
- Article
- Dietary proteins: from evolution to engineering.Frontiers in nutrition · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Population growth and changes in dietary patterns place an ever-growing pressure on the environment. Feeding the world within sustainable boundaries therefore requires revolutionizing the way we harness natural resources. Microbial biomass can be cultivated to yield protein-rich feed and food supplements, collectively termed single-cell protein (SCP). Yet, we still lack a quantitative comparison between traditional agriculture and photovoltaic-driven SCP systems in terms of land use and energetic efficiency. Here, we analyze the energetic efficiency of harnessing solar energy to produce SCP from air and water. Our model includes photovoltaic electricity generation, direct air capture of carbon dioxide, electrosynthesis of an electron donor and/or carbon source for microbial growth (hydrogen, formate, or methanol), microbial cultivation, and the processing of biomass and proteins. We show that, per unit of land, SCP production can reach an over 10-fold higher protein yield and at least twice the caloric yield compared with any staple crop. Altogether, this quantitative analysis offers an assessment of the future potential of photovoltaic-driven microbial foods to supplement conventional agricultural production and support resource-efficient protein supply on a global scale.
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Registered trials
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