Chloroplasts - the solar panels of the plant cell

We have known for many years that plants get their energy from the sun. But turning sunlight into usable energy requires some special hardware, and this is where chloroplasts come in. Chloroplasts are microscopic structures present in most plant cells. In fact, they are present in such high numbers that you can see them without a microscope as the green color of plants. The chloroplasts green color is due to the presence of a green pigment called chlorophyll, which absorbs both red and blue lightwaves from the sun and reflects green light giving the pigment its green color. The red and blue sunlight (energy) absorbed by the molecule is then able to drive photosynthesis which happens in the chloroplasts.

Photosynthesis is the process that converts light energy into chemical energy and stores it as sugar molecules called glucose. The light from the sun provides the necessary energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and glucose in the reaction 6 CO2 + 6 H2O → 6 O2 + C6H12O6. The oxygen is released as a byproduct and the glucose is stored for future use as an energy source for cellular processes in the plant, where the breakdown of the glucose molecule will release energy, which is then able to drive the reactions needed.

To be able to optimize the photosynthesis process and harness as much solar energy as possible, the chloroplasts will move depending on light intensity, direction and color. This is achieved through something called cytoplasmic streaming, which you can read more about here.

In the video below you can see the movement of chloroplasts inside individual cells off the water plant elodea.

A timelapse video of the cytoplasmic movement of the chloroplasts 

in an elodea leaf. 40x and 60x objectives, simple brightfield.