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Every year we need more electricity. Scientists have to invent non-traditional ways to obtain it – inexpensive and safe for the atmosphere. We talk about unusual developments in the field of electric power industry
Energy from sea waves
In April 2021, the British company Mocean Energy introduced Blue X, a prototype plant that will convert the kinetic energy of sea waves into electricity.
The principle of operation is as follows: the installation is placed on the surface of the water, it sways on the waves and drives the hinge in the middle. That, in turn, starts a generator that generates electricity and redirects it to land through cables.
How to apply it: Mocean Energy estimates that using just 1% of the world’s available wave energy could power 50 million buildings. For comparison: in our country there are about 14 million residential buildings.
Energy from DNA
It turned out that organic molecules also convert solar energy into electricity. In 2021, German scientists managed to synthesize a supramolecular – that is, more complex than a conventional molecule – a system based on DNA.
The basis of the system is fullerene, a “soccer ball” of 60 carbon atoms. A dye is attached to it, which absorbs sunlight and gives the resulting energy to the fullerene. But a problem arises: if such supramolecules are not ordered, the current between them will flow with difficulty, and over time it will completely die out.
Scientists have proposed such a solution: they fixed supramolecules based on fullerenes and a dye on a DNA helix. So the movements of electrons become ordered, and the electric current does not fade.
How to apply it: The researchers do not promise that DNA solar panels will soon appear on all roofs, but they plan to develop this direction. They predict the technology will be cheaper, stronger and more durable than silicon-based solar cells.
Solar powered respirators
Berlin inventor Heinz Knupske turned a respirator into a device that generates electricity. In fact, this is a mask familiar to us, on the surface of which a small solar battery is fixed.
How to apply it: The battery generates enough energy to charge your phone or watch. At the beginning of 2021, China has already launched mass production of “solar” masks and sent the first batch to Europe.
solar sails
In 2019, the Planetary Society deployed a LightSail 2 sail on one of SpaceX’s rockets, and it successfully tested.
A solar sail is almost the same as a regular sail on ships. Only it is not the wind that sets it in motion, but solar energy – a stream of charged particles that the Sun emits. If you catch this flow of energy, you can travel in space for a long time along a given route, and you won’t need fuel for this.
How to apply it: Using the achievements of the Planetary Society, in 2021 NASA plans to fly to the Moon with the help of a sail, and then go to the near-Earth asteroid 1991 VG.
“Endless” energy from thin air
In 2020, scientists from the University of Massachusetts created Air-gen, a generator that creates electricity using natural protein and moisture from the air.
Using proteobacteria Geobacter, scientists grow a protein that can conduct electricity. It is made into a film less than 10 microns thick – several times thinner than a human hair – and placed between two electrodes. The protein takes moisture from the air and creates a current between the electrodes due to the thin pores.
Air-gen shows the best results at 45% humidity, but it also copes in arid regions like the Sahara. The generator does not depend on weather conditions and works even indoors.
How to apply it: while the power of Air-gen is only enough to power small electronics. Soon, scientists will develop a version for mobile phones and smart watches so that they never run out of battery. And if researchers can combine Air-gen with wall paint, homes will have an endless source of electricity.
Wood electricity
If you compress the wood, and then return it to its original state, it generates an electrical voltage – however, very low. Scientists from Switzerland conducted several experiments and in 2021 managed to turn wood into a mini-generator.
The researchers changed the chemical composition of the wood. They put it in a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid, dissolved one of the components of the tree bark – lignin – and left only cellulose. As a result, the wood has turned into a “sponge”, which, after compression, returns to its original shape on its own. According to scientists, such a sponge generates an electrical voltage 85 times higher than an ordinary tree.
How to apply it: while researchers are testing the resulting material. They have already found out that the energy of 30 pieces of wood 1,5 cm long is enough to power the LCD display.
Liquid fuel from solar energy
Today, electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. This method has two problems: organic fuel harms the environment and will eventually run out. This forces scientists to look for a replacement for organics.
Since 2001, Chinese scientists have been trying to convert solar energy into liquid fuels. After 20 years, they have succeeded.
The researchers managed to obtain a liquid product with a minimum of impurities – the methanol content in it reaches 99,5%. This took three steps:
- turn the light produced by solar panels into energy;
- using this electricity to decompose water into hydrogen and oxygen;
- combine hydrogen and carbon monoxide and get methanol.
How to apply it: unlike oil and coal, this fuel burns cleanly. If China manages to mass-produce liquid methanol, there will be much less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere – China accounts for about 29% of global emissions.