New Green Technology Generates Electricity "Out of Thin Air"
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed a device called Air-gen that generates electricity using water vapor.
Solar power needs concentrated sunlight, wind power requires strong winds, and hydroelectric power requires strong currents, but now there's a new green technology that only needs the air around it. Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst have recently developed a device to create electricity, only using moisture in the air by leveraging naturally occurring proteins.
Geobacter, originally found on the bottom floor of the Potomac River, can produce conductive protein nanowires that generate electricity when applied to water. Scientists have known about this bacteria for over 30 years now, but recently electrical engineer Jun Yao and microbiologist Derek Lovley have figured out a way to stabilize the energy it creates using their device Air-gen.
Air-gen sandwiches a layer of the natural Geobacter nanowires between two electrodes, but with enough room for air to circulate. These conductive nanowires can pull water vapor from the air across them to generate a tiny amount of current. Currently, Air-gen produces around 0.5 volts, with a current density of about 17 microamperes per square centimeter. However, by connecting a series of multiple Air-gen devices, the researchers say they could linearly generate enough power to charge small devices like smartphones.
"The ultimate goal is to make large-scale systems. For example, the technology might be incorporated into wall paint that could help power your home," - Jun Yao, Electrical Engineer from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Air-gen could change the way people think about clean energy. If Air-gen was mass-produced, engineers could create air-powered generators that supply household energy needs completely off the grid. However, mass-production is difficult because Geobacter only produces a notably finite amount of the protein-based nanowires required for Air-gen. But researchers are currently attempting to genetically engineer Geobacter with another microbe, like E.coli, in order to produce a larger supply. But when production problems are solved, I'm excited to see what other big things come from this small technology.