Water powered mobile phones?
An ingenious new method of generating electricity from flowing water has been developed by researchers from the University of Alberta in Canada.
The scientists explain in the Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering that they can directly generate electrical power by pushing ordinary tap water through tiny microchannels.
Professor Larry Kostiuk who co-led the research has said the method could power small electronic devices like mobile phones and calculators. Instead of being forced to plug in to the mains when a phone runs out of charge, a water powered mobile could be revitalised by pumping the liquid back up to high pressure.
In the device, as the liquid pushes past the solid walls of the microchannels, oppositely charged particles separate, creating a difference in voltage. This voltage gradient causes a current to flow. The resultant electrical energy is effectively converted from the work done to push the liquid through the channel – that is the effort required to pressurise the liquid.
Professor Kostiuk claims this method of power generation could rival the potential offered by wind and solar power. However, he acknowledges that huge bodies of water would be needed to produce commercially useful amounts of electricity.
‘Hydrocarbon fuels are still the best source of energy but they’re fast running out and so new options like this one could be vital in the future.’
