Solar panels use light energy from the sun, and wind turbines convert the kinetic energy of moving air. These approaches depend on a single source and are effective only when that source is present. To overcome this limitation, scientists create literal power plants to harvest wind and rain energy. This multi-source energy harvester device showcased great potential by generating 113 to 252 volts.
Artificial plants are being revolutionized in the 21st century as researchers have developed leaf-shaped devices to produce electricity from wind and rain. These innovative power plants have been described in a recent published study. The team demonstrated the effectiveness of these energy harvesters by integrating them into fake plants. Ravinder Dahiya and his team set out to design a multi-source energy harvester capable of harnessing power from both wind and rain. The team created a TENG to capture wind energy and a DEG to collect energy from raindrops. The former generated an impressive amount of 252 volts, while the latter contributed 113 volts. Although this was for brief intervals under the most favorable circumstances, yet it is considered a remarkable discovery.
In recent times, there has been a rise in the development of multi-source energy harvesters. They offer the opportunity to capture energy from various renewable sources using a single device, thereby maximizing its potential output.
About Power Plants
Team built two types of energy collectors, as mentioned below:
- Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) – To capture wind energy
- Droplet-based energy generator (DEG) – To collect energy from raindrops
The TENG consists of nanofibers made of nylon, Teflon™, and copper electrodes. As these layers are pressed against one another, they produce static charges that are then converted into electricity.
The Process
Teflon was utilized to manufacture the DEG, which was waterproofed and coated with a conductive fabric to serve as the electrodes. When raindrops struck one of the electrodes, it created a charge imbalance, resulting in the generation of a small current and high voltage.
Then the team mounted DEG on TENG and incorporated leaf-shaped devices into the artificial plants. As leaf-shaped generators sensed natural rain and wind, they generated power. They successfully powered 10 LED lights for a short period.
Scientists create literal power plants to harvest wind and rain energy that can evolve into larger systems or networks of power plants. It is more capable as it can generate clean energy from various natural sources simultaneously.
Source: Artificial ‘power plants’ harness energy from wind and rain
