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The short answer is photosynthesis! But what does that really mean?
In a nutshell, plant cells have organelles (the "organs" or a cell) called chloroplasts that have green pigments called chlorophyll located inside of them. The chlorophyll are arranged in a way that allows the energy received from sunlight to excite their electrons and pass an electron from pigment to pigment until it reaches the reaction center (a special chlorophyll A). The above mentioned is referred to as the 'light dependant stage.' The very first electron is donated by a water molecule, splitting it into hydrogen ions and oxygen molecules (which plants release for us to breath). This is why plants need water!
This electron is then passed along an electron transport chain consisting many pignments
embedded in the thylakoid
membrane (little stacks within a chloroplast). This chain uses electrons to form ATP (potential energy stored in a chemical compound) and NADPH
(an electron carrier). They will come back into play in a short bit...
The 'dark' or 'light independent stage' starts when the carbon dioxide absorbed by plants from the atmosphere enters a series of reactions collectively called the Calvin Cycle. Through a handful of reactions, carbon dioxide is transformed into various compounds and then back again, in a cycle. The ATP and NADPH
created in the transport chain earlier provide the electrons needed to change up the compounds. Half way during the cycle, glucose is released. This is the 'sugar' that plants produced. For example, the sweet taste of fruit. This is is essentially the food 'energy' that humans need to survive.
To go beyond your question a bit, the energy that humans get from eating plants comes from the opposite process of photosynthesis; cellular respiration. Here, through a number of different chemical reactions, the glucose molecules are broken back down and give ATP (remember, this is the potential energy molecule). ATP (or adenosine
triphosphate)
releases lots of energy when it is broken down into ADP + P.
There you have it - how plants convert light from the sun into energy!
What else can I help you with?
What cell capure energy from sunlight?
Photosynthetic cells. Chloplasts capture sunlight in plant cells.
Is a mesophyll cell an animal or plant cell?
A mesophyll cell is a plant cell found in the middle layer of leaf tissue. It is responsible for photosynthesis and contains chloroplasts to capture sunlight energy.
Where within a plant cell is is sunlight captured and converted to chemical energy?
In the chloroplasts and chlorophyll.
What is the onganelle in a plant cell that uses the energy from sunlight to make glucose?
The organelle in a plant cell that uses the energy from sunlight to make glucose is the chloroplast. Chloroplasts contain chlorophyll, a pigment that absorbs light energy and carries out photosynthesis, converting carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.
What does chloroplast do in a plant cell do?
It captures the energy from sunlight as chemical energy.
How does a plant cell get energy?
A plant cell gets energy from the leaves that absorbs sunlight.
What changes sunlight into energy?
Solar cell
What is a plant cell's source of energy for photosynthesis?
sunlight
What are chloroplasts used for in a plant cell?
They capture the sunlight to produce energy for the plant.
What does the chloroplast do for a plant cell?
Chloroplasts contain chlorophyll which absorbs energy from sunlight for photosynthesis.
What cell capure energy from sunlight?
Photosynthetic cells. Chloplasts capture sunlight in plant cells.
Why the rate of transfer of energy in the solar cell changes through out the day?
The rate of energy transfer in a solar cell changes throughout the day due to variations in sunlight intensity as the position of the sun changes in the sky. Factors like shadows, clouds, and the angle of sunlight can all affect the amount of energy reaching the solar cell at different times of the day.
What is an organelle in a plant cell that uses the energy from sunlight to make sugar?
chloroplast
What organelle in a plant cell ses the energy from sunlight to make sugar?
Chloroplast
What captures sunlight and stores it in molecules for the plant cell?
The chloroplast absorbs solar energy and stores the light as molecules for the plant cell.
What part of the cell captures energy from sunlight and uses it to produce food for the cell?
The chlorophyll in the chloroplasts of PLANT cells does this.
Is a mesophyll cell an animal or plant cell?
A mesophyll cell is a plant cell found in the middle layer of leaf tissue. It is responsible for photosynthesis and contains chloroplasts to capture sunlight energy.
