Can we use photosynthesis to create food and power?

Question

I was wondering why we don’t use this like plants to produce food and power for ourselves. Can we not figure out how to do it, is the payoff not big enough (ROI) or what? Why can’t we use it in nanotechnology to power the micro bio motors?

Perhaps that is 2 questions but I am more interested in why we do or don’t use this as it seems to be the way to go since it seems like the energy production of choice in nature.

http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/BIOBK/BioBookPS.html

Answer 1

It's about energy consumption and the biology of our cell makeup. Maybe if humans spent a great deal of their evolution rooting themselves and standing in one place staring at the sun, but we have a different lot in life. Our cell makeup and activities consumes way more energy than our skin could photosynthesize and make useable. We would starve(wilt?).
Same with the motors. The energy consumption is too great. Look at what plants do. If we could reduce our energy consumption to that of a living organism which does next to nothing but multiply cells, maybe we could get plant photosynthesis to work for us, but as of yet, we can't. It's almost like asking why we can't just fill up a balloon and sit on it to ride up into space. We need more energy than that.

Answer 2

why do this when plants can do this already and probably do it better

added: most likely the one thing you will make is sugar the other parts of the plant is very complicated like protein and etc.

Answer 3

The salad bar is full of things that used photosynthesis to feed you.

Answer 4

We can't. Because, it is given naturally to the green vegetables and plants. And we can't replace them.

Answer 5

we do -- it's called farming