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What Is the Efficiency of Chlorophyll?

Plants do something naturally that humans have only been able to do since the 20th century -- use sunlight for energy. Chlorophyll is the key molecule located within plants that allows absorption to take place. The absorption process in plants is much more elegant than the operation of photovoltaic cells, as photons are broken down and subjected to other processes, as opposed to being immediately converted to energy. Some plants are very efficient at light absorbance, while others are less so.

Location
- Chlorophyll molecules -- regardless of the plant type -- are located within structures known as "chloroplasts." The actual chlorophyll pigment exists on top of thylakoid stacks. Alternatively, ATP -- the main energy used by plants -- is created within the chloroplast upon the stroma.
Coloration
- Chlorophyll molecules provide one of the most basic features of plants -- the color. The green coloration is the effect of the chlorophyll molecules' absorbance patterns. In the electromagnetic spectrum, chlorophyll molecules absorb the areas consisting of both blue and red light, breaking down the photons into usable formats. The only section of the spectrum it doesn't absorb is green, which reflects off of the plant and back to the eye, causing the green coloration.
Types
- Chlorophyll molecules are also not one standard type; in fact, the chlorophyll molecule can be broken into one of three categories -- either the "a," "b" or "c" version. Chlorophyll "a" is the most common type, which is found in the majority of plant types, although its efficiency will still fluctuate depending on the associated breakdown of the photons. Chlorophyll "b" exists in some plants, as well as green algae. Chlorophyll "c" is rarer, being present only in chromistas and dinoflagellates.
Lowering of Efficiency
- As spring and summer months wear into fall, many plants allow chlorophyll molecules to break down. This can first be seen in leaves that begin to change colors. Usually, the leaves will gradually turn darker and often towards a more reddish color. When leaves become darker, it means that the chlorophyll molecule is degrading and absorbing light less efficiently. Likewise, for many plants, the first part of the chlorophyll molecule to degrade is the red absorbance side, which leads to a reflection of red light, causing leaves to look red.

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