• Tech Tech

Scientists develop 'power plants' inspired by leaves that produce energy from wind and rain — here's how they work

"Proof-of-concept devices could be further advanced to develop energy-harvesting artificial trees to produce clean energy everywhere."

"Proof-of-concept devices could be further advanced to develop energy-harvesting artificial trees to produce clean energy everywhere."

Photo Credit: iStock

Researchers have developed tiny leaf-shaped generators that can create electricity from wind or rain, giving a new meaning to the phrase "power plant."  

The team built two types of collectors — one that could capture energy from wind and another that could collect it from falling raindrops.

They tested these multi-source energy harvesters by incorporating them into artificial plants, thereby creating literal "power plants." When the generators were exposed to conditions that mimicked wind and rain, they powered 10 LED lights in short flickers. 

Under optimal conditions, these little devices can produce 252 volts from wind and 113 volts from rainfall, the researchers said, but only for short periods of time.


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This isn't the first time the world has seen nature-inspired design when it comes to renewable energy. French company New World Wind is producing small-scale wind turbines that look like trees — a 36-leaf tree could generate enough electricity to power a four-person household for one year. Some models also integrate solar panels.

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As for the new "power plants," the researchers said that they can be further developed and integrated into larger systems or networks to produce clean energy (although they are aimed at "low-power" applications so far).

"Such proof-of-concept devices could be further advanced to develop energy-harvesting artificial trees to produce clean energy everywhere from gentle winds and rain drops," the paper said.

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