A bio-designer and a Cambridge biochemistry team have built working biocells that run on algae. The devices generate electricity through photosynthesis. They point towards a low-carbon alternative to the billions of small disposable batteries discarded globally each year.
Lucia Giron graduated from Central Saint Martins’ Biodesign master’s programme in 2023. She has spent two and a half years collaborating with Cambridge’s Department of Biochemistry and engineer Lifu Tan. Together, they have produced prototypes that sit within the field of biophotovoltaics. The technology works like a solar panel, except the light-harvesting material is living microorganisms rather than silicon.
How the Cells Work
How the Cells Work
The active organisms inside Cambridge’s system are cyanobacteria, commonly known as blue-green algae. As they photosynthesise, they consume sunlight and carbon dioxide. They produce a continuous low-level electrical current in return. The research team says such cells could, over time, reduce demand for disposable batteries in devices including smoke alarms and remote controls.
Professor Chris Howe of the University of Cambridge has said the environmental case is significant. He argues the technology could replace millions of small batteries with a cleaner power source. Cambridge has previously reported a biological photovoltaic cell that powered a microprocessor continuously for more than a year. It ran on ambient light and water alone.
The algae, according to the university, are unharmed during operation. In the laboratory, the same cultures have been producing electricity for six years and are still running.
Designing for a Living System
Designing for a Living System
Giron’s work has been to translate laboratory science into legible, functional objects. The team has produced a compact demonstrator cell, a clock radio, and a temperature sensor. All three draw power from biophotovoltaic panels.
The design requirements were specific. The device had to behave like a piece of consumer technology while maintaining a suitable environment for living organisms. The algae sit inside a transparent casing to receive light. Observers can watch the biological process directly. A semi-permeable membrane allows gas exchange without moisture loss. The internal electrode has a textured, filament-like surface to encourage close contact between the biological and electrical components.
The front plate carries a leaf-vein motif. It signals the photosynthetic process at a glance. The plate can be removed, allowing the device to be disassembled for component reuse or recycling.
Scale, Commercialisation, and Visibility
Scale, Commercialisation, and Visibility
The two functional panels take different forms. One is a disc-shaped unit connected to a temperature sensor. The other is a rectangular panel fitted into the top of a clock radio. Both are larger than standard disposable batteries. Giron has said the technology will likely become more compact as it is refined and commercialised. The team is developing it through a spin-out company called e-Pho.
The question of visibility is deliberate. Biocells require light to function. They cannot be hidden inside a sealed casing the way conventional batteries can. Giron has suggested this constraint is an asset in settings such as schools, public buildings, and shared spaces. Making energy generation physically legible to the people using it carries its own value.
That position connects the project to a wider shift in design thinking. Living systems are increasingly treated as active participants in environmental technology, not merely raw materials. Cyanobacteria have appeared in other recent projects, including work shown at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale and Studio Swine’s Invisible Worlds sculpture. Interest in microbes as tools for climate and biodiversity applications is growing across architecture and materials research.
Where the Technology Stands
Where the Technology Stands
Cambridge’s biocells remain small-scale. The devices on show are demonstrators. Commercial viability at the scale needed to displace disposable batteries in mass-market products remains unproven, and the source material does not specify a timeline for e-Pho’s commercial launch.
The fundamental science, though, has been running for years. A cell still producing electricity after six years in a laboratory is a meaningful data point. The global market for small disposable batteries is enormous. Even a partial shift towards biological alternatives would carry measurable environmental consequences. The research offers a concrete, if early-stage, direction for that shift.
