Patent ID: 8302346

Claim:
A method for enhancing photosynthetic efficiency comprising: applying pulsed light to a photosynthetic organism; using a chlorophyll fluorescence feedback control system to determine one or more photosynthetic efficiency parameters, wherein the photosynthetic efficiency parameters are used to adjust one or more of the following: a pulse rate, pulse on/off duration, light intensity, light spectrum, or a combination thereof; adjusting one or more of the photosynthetic efficiency parameters to drive a photosynthesis by delivering of an amount of light to optimize light absorption of the photosynthetic organism while providing enough dark time between light pulses to prevent oversaturation of a chlorophyll reaction center; and changing the light intensity of a spectral composition of pulsed light by decreasing an intensity of wavelengths that are strongly absorbed and increasing an intensity of wavelengths that are weakly absorbed to allow deeper penetration of light energy into a culture or canopy of the photosynthetic organism.