What is the primary source of energy for the process of photosynthesis?

Photosynthesis is the process through which green plants, algae, and some bacteria convert light energy into chemical energy stored in glucose. The primary source of energy for this process is sunlight. During photosynthesis, chlorophyll, the green pigment in plants, absorbs sunlight. This energy is essential for splitting water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen and for converting carbon dioxide and water into glucose. Without sunlight, the entire process of photosynthesis would not occur, as it provides the initial energy needed to drive the chemical reactions involved in synthesizing food for the plant.

While water, soil nutrients, and carbon dioxide are important components required for the process, they do not serve as the energy source. Instead, water is a reactant that provides electrons and protons, carbon dioxide serves as a carbon source for building glucose, and soil nutrients are used for various metabolic functions within the plant. Sunlight is fundamentally the energy source that powers the entire photosynthetic pathway.