The organelle in a plant cell that performs photosynthesis is the chloroplast. Chloroplasts contain the green pigment chlorophyll, which captures sunlight and converts it into chemical energy through a series of light-dependent and light-independent reactions. These processes produce ATP and NADPH, which are then used to fix carbon dioxide into carbohydrates like glucose. Oxygen is released as a by-product during these reactions

. Chloroplasts have a double membrane and an internal system of thylakoid membranes where the light reactions occur. The stroma, the fluid surrounding the thylakoids, is where the Calvin cycle (carbon fixation) takes place. Chloroplasts are essential not only for photosynthesis but also for other biosynthetic functions in plants