Researchers have found a way to generate electricity generated by trees, media reported this week.
Children around the world who have experimented with the lemon or potato battery know that an electric current can be generated by creating a reaction between the food and two dissimilar metals.
However, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found another way to harvest electricity from trees. They used the same metal for both electrodes which were specially arranged so as not to confuse the impact with the potato impact.
Although proven, trees can be a source of electricity is an important step, one question remains, can the small voltage generated by one tree can be used for something useful?
After spending the summer examining the trees, the researchers found broadleaf woody trees produced a steady voltage of several hundred millivolts.
By adding a device called a voltage boost converter, the research team managed to obtain a usable voltage of 1.1 voltage, enough to run a low-power sensor.
A team member admits that tree power is not as practical as solar energy, but he believes the system could be considered a low-cost option to generate electricity for tree sensors that help detect environmental conditions or forest fires.
Using electronic outputs to maintain tree health is another possibility. The study is planned to be published in the journal Transactions on Nanotechnology, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
(NFL)
