Which possibilities do you think of when we talk about energy generation? You probably have solar, wind turbines, and oil in mind, right? However, there are plenty of alternative and surprising sources of electricity, from organic waste to bike pedalling. Some unusual and innovative methods we discuss here can generate clean energy and boost sustainable living — although many may still not serve large-scale electricity generation purposes. Check the full list below for some of the most curious and unexpected ways of generating electricity nowadays.
Movement
Did you know that kinetic energy can also be used to produce electricity? For offices, this energy generation can be implemented by a desk and chair with a thermo-electric generator that monitors and absorbs employees’ movements to convert the same into energy.
In nightclubs, this can also happen using a special floor fitted with sensors, batteries, and circuits beneath that absorb the kinetic energy generated from footsteps to power places or appliances.
Versatile, this type of energy can be everywhere – even when you are washing your clothes at home considering that there are ways to harness kinetic energy through home appliances using their vibration to generate power (washing machine, dishwasher, dryer machine).
Body heat
Researchers looking for energy generation alternatives are developing a wearable fabric that can generate electricity. A flexible fabric (a new multi-layer CNT/polymer called Power Felt), is super comfy that can conduct electricity and provide thermal insulation simultaneously.
Power Felt, according to the Phys.org, has a number of use cases but was intended to capture body heat and reuse it to charge phones. Experiments on a 72-layer fabric demonstrated a maximum power generation of 137 nW at a temperature difference of 50 K. However the researchers predict that the power output can be increased; for example, they calculate that a 300-layer fabric exposed to a 100 K temperature difference has a theoretical power output of up to 5 µW.
Besides the wristwatch, another wearable application could be winter jackets with thermoelectric inside liners that use the temperature difference between body heat and the outdoor temperature to power electronic devices, such as an iPod.
Used diapers
Did you know that 600 kilograms (1,300 pounds) of used diapers could generate enough electricity to power a lightbulb for four days straight? Japan is already doing that.
As the population is aging healthier than before, the country innovated to create a special machine that can turn adult diapers used in clinics, homes, and nursing homes into clean fuel with virtually no odour. Discarded diapers go through an aging, drying, and heating cycle that kills off any germs. The resulting material is pellets, which are then sent to biomass boilers to produce electricity or heat water.
Jellyfish
The sea is full of surprises. Some species of jellyfish, for example, have specialized cells that allow them to detect electrical fields and use primitive electrical signals to navigate, stun prey, and communicate. For now, jellyfish are already shocking researchers with new possibilities in both medicine and green energy. The idea is to create artificial jellyfish mechanisms to supply port cities with energy and use their way of life such an inspiration.
Noise
Considering that sound is a vibration that travels through a medium, that energy can be captured and redirected into some power generation mechanisms. An infinite resource of energy. The electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) (a low-cost homopolymer) nanofibrous membranes convert low-mid frequency noise into electricity with high voltage outputs. Renewable energy could be useful everywhere.
Bacteria
There are bacteria everywhere, but we are sure you probably didn’t link bacteria to electricity generation.
Not everyone, however, certain types of bacteria can produce an electric current through their metabolism – microbial fuel cells from the bacteria’s digestion.
According to the Science website, A new study shows that when fashioned into a film, these wires—protein filaments that ferry electrons away from the bacteria—can produce enough power to light a light-emitting diode.
Cows
Even wild animals can impact the environment. Cows are responsible for a lot of the gases (their burps mostly emit methane gas) that cause global warming.
Although a weird scene, a lot of people have been trying to collect it by attaching a balloon to its butt, and the initiative is being successful. Methane digesters, that convert manure from lagoons into electricity for use on dairy farms are popping up across the world, and that is an effective way to save helping the environment at the same time.
Onions
Yes, an energy source can be in your fridge. When squeezed, the onion juice can be converted to methane, which can then be used to create electricity. This method is being used in some countries, and, according to the FarmProgress website, Oxnard, a California city, expects to save $700,000 on power bills and $400,000 on trucking costs.
Riding a bike
Pedalling a bike at a reasonable pace generates about 100 watts of power. When an exercise bike is attached to a generator, the electricity generated by pedalling can power small appliances and household electronics these days, such as blenders, phones, or even washing machines.
Confiscated Alcohol
In Sweden, every year the national customs service confiscates a large quantity of illegally smuggled alcohol. To convert this issue into a solution, the illegal liquid is now mixed with foodstuff and enzymes to create gas. Then, this gas is used to create electricity – fed into the National Grid.
Thorium Reactors = power
Thorium reactors work by converting thorium into uranium, which is then used to produce electricity. These reactors require high-energy neutrons to trigger their fissile activity, which has led scientists to begin work on miniature particle accelerators.
Corpses
During their operation, crematoriums produce heat, which is mostly wasted. However, the town of Redditch in England took the curious step of building a heating system that channelled the excess heat from the crematorium to a nearby swimming pool, saving the local council thousands on heating costs in the process. An initiative estimated to decrease the energy usage by around 40%.
Rain
According to the Science Alert website, generating electricity from rainy days could be one way to grow our renewable energy use. New research has found a method to generate enough power from a single droplet of rain to light up 100 LED bulbs. That’s a big jump forward in efficiency, in the region several thousand times.
Sugar
- Hydrogen gas can produce electricity, which is another possibility for electricity generation. The explanation is that genetically engineered bacteria such as E. coli would eat the glucose from the sugar cane. Not a large quantity. Two spoonfuls of sugar can produce enough energy to charge a cell phone for weeks.
Magnets
Sciencing explains this curious way to generate electricity. Most electricity comes from generators that use magnetic fields to create electricity. These generators are made up of coils of wire that are either rotated through magnetic fields or are stationary around a shaft with rotating magnets. In either case, the coils of wire are exposed to changing magnetic fields created by the magnets.
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