What process converts light energy into chemical energy in plants?

Photosynthesis is the process through which plants convert light energy into chemical energy. This occurs primarily in the chloroplasts of plant cells, where chlorophyll captures sunlight. During photosynthesis, plants take carbon dioxide from the air and water from the soil. Using the energy harnessed from sunlight, these raw materials undergo a series of reactions, ultimately yielding glucose and oxygen. The glucose produced serves as a source of chemical energy, which plants can use to fuel their growth, reproduction, and other vital processes.

In contrast, cellular respiration is a process that breaks down glucose to release energy, fermentation is an anaerobic process that generates energy without oxygen, and glycolysis is the initial step in the breakdown of glucose. None of these processes are involved in the conversion of light energy into chemical energy, making photosynthesis the only correct answer to this question.