Electricity production from raindrops!
By Sadia Noor Portia (7th semester – English Department,
Independent University, Bangladesh)
Researchers say that it is possible to produce electricity from raindrops through a specialized generator. The new generator they invented can generate high voltage electricity from rain particles.
It is possible to generate 140 volts of electricity from one drop of rainwater in this process. It is possible to light up to 140 LED bulbs with this electricity. A related research report has been published in the international journal ‘Nature.’
Professor Oyankai, a professor of the mechanical engineering department at the City University of Hong Kong, led this research.
He said, “We have found in the study that it is possible to produce 140 volts of electricity if one drop of rainwater of 100 microliter falls from 15 inches above the ground.”
It is known that the researchers have created the generator for the past two years. The structure of this generator is much like the field-effect transistor. Although it is possible to generate electricity from rainwater, it is not yet sure whether it can be used continuously.
In addition to Professor Oyankai, Professor Shiao Cheng of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Professor Wang Zhong Lin of the Chinese Academy of Sciences were involved in the study of creating the droplet-based generator.