'Plant Lamp' Draws Electricity from Soil.
Inspired by real and immediate problems in remote areas of the country, researchers at Peru’s Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología (UTEC) have developed a remarkable piece of technology — a low-cost LED lamp that uses plants and soil as its batteries. The delightfully named Plantalámpara — or “plant lamp” — technically draws its power from microorganisms in the soil that are released by plants as they grow. By way of an energy producing mesh buried beneath the surface, the system can generate enough power to supply two hours of light per day, per lamp. “We put the plant and soil into a wooden plant pot together with a previously established and properly protected irrigation system,” says Elmer Ramirez, professor of Energy and Power Engineering, on UTEC’s project page . “Then inside the pot we place the energy generation system that we created which stores soil and electrodes capable of converting plant nutrients into electric energy.” The plant lamp system was ...

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