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What is the function of the chloroplasts in plants?

All organisms need some sort of a fuel source in order to survive and flourish. For plants, the primary fuel source is solar radiation beaming down from the sun. In order to harness the sunlight to make food plants use small organelle structures in their cells called chloroplasts. These organelles use a chemical called chlorophyll to create cellulose, the plant form of sugar. Cellulose also helps to build the rigid outer structure of cells and is broken down as a fuel source to do most processes. 


A fine distinction to make is that chloroplasts make food, not energy. This food can later be broken down by the cell's mitochondria to make energy, just the same as other organisms would break down ingested food. Chloroplasts and their chlorophyll are also to blame for the average plant's green coloring which helps them absorb blue wavelengths of light very efficiently (helpful with a blue sky). 

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