Light regulation of light‐harvesting antenna size substantially enhances photosynthetic efficiency and biomass yield in green algae^†

Summary One of the major factors limiting biomass productivity in algae is the low thermodynamic efficiency of photosynthesis. The greatest thermodynamic inefficiencies in photosynthesis occur during the conversion of light into chemical energy. At full sunlight the light‐harvesting antenna captures photons at a rate nearly 10 times faster than the rate‐limiting step in photosynthetic electron transport. Excess captured energy is dissipated by...