A dirt-powered fuel cell using soil microbes generated 68 times more power than required to run its sensors. It lasted 120% longer than similar technologies and worked in both dry and flooded conditions. The researchers are now working to make it fully biodegradable.
https://factide.com/soil-powered-fuel-cell-generates-68-times-more-power-than-sensors-need/
3 Comments
This tech is a total game changer for farming. Getting power straight from the dirt to run sensors is honestly genius. It solves the massive headache of swapping out batteries in the middle of nowhere. I love seeing practical, green solutions that actually work. The potential for long-term monitoring is huge.
This is one more example of why the earth is nowhere near it’s “carrying capacity”.
I’m not advocating for population increases, in fact, I believe having population slow is a wonderful trend for both the earth and humans.
What I am saying is that food scarcity is not a production challenge, it’s a logistics and storage challenge. (Also to some degree a corruption challenge)
Why don’t solar panels clean themselves? Use some of that energy to run some scrubs or something maybe