Many of the underdeveloped countries in the world lack the proper resources and infrastructure to have cheap, yet efficient electricity. What if they could grow the solution to their energy problems? In the Scientific American, there is an article about ongoing research by Hebrew University that uses treated potatoes as electric batteries. Potato batteries are conceptually much cheaper than alkaline batteries or any other traditional battery, as all you need is a potato and zinc and copper wires. Not only is this a good environmental idea, it is also pretty simple. So simple that boiling the potato before using it as a battery increases its potency by 10 times the original amount.
The potato battery can be used in lighting, telecommunications, or in any instance where electrical infrastructure is not in hand, according to the article. The article also explains that the potato is a good choice for a battery because of its salt-bridge capacity, which is apparently high compared to other materials. The other argument for the potato battery is its relative cheapness. According to the article, traditional cell batteries are 5-50 times more expensive than a potato battery. Plus, potato batteries do not need any special ways of disposing as it is 100% clean.
Now the idea of using a common potato as a battery can seem like a brilliant idea, but their are many downsides to this idea. First, in many of the nations that have these issues, hunger is a major issue. It might even be a bigger problem than electricity, so using potential food for power may not be the greatest idea. Second, the cost of transporting these potatoes to these locations actually might cost more than the benefit produced by them. The article said the potatoes needed to be boiled; but if there is no power to start with how do you successfully boil them without interfering with the cooking of food? Eventually there are too many flaws with this simple idea for it to catch on and actually be a realistic solution to the energy crisis.
Source: http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/power-from-potatoes/
The construction and set-up of a battery-like system through the utilization of electrolysis with a potato has been a clever and functional idea for quite a while. I remember being in elementary school, and for one of the science fairs my friend had demonstrated that he could power his Gameboy with a single potato. At the time I was impressed, but still too young to see or understand the reasons as to why this was possible or the possible applications that this could be utilized for.
ReplyDeleteThe potato system certainly has many appeals, of which are well presented in the article cited by Neil. The fact that it is a sustainable and a clean energy source, coincide well with the traditional thought of environmentally friendly energy and appears to be a fitting solution for the modern energy crisis.
However, I see two major problems with making mass potato power efficient and effective. The first issue is the large number of potatoes that would be necessary to be productive. The current energy demand globally is enormous, and a potato’s is relatively very little. The number of potatoes that would be needed would be astronomical if to be applied to any reasonable large scale. So the focus would have to be very small. Also, I think in today’s modern civilization, potatoes would be impractical if they were to replace batteries. Examples of this could be cars, cell-phones, etc. The second and perhaps greater issue with potatoes as a source of energy is that potatoes are a major food staple globally. To redirect food from human consumption to fuel would have dramatic increasing effects on the already huge number of people suffering from hunger and starvation around the world. Notably, it would also make the price of potatoes go up; and in the current economy that may not play well.
I like the idea, but as Neil stated as well, this is not a realistic solution. Nonetheless, an interesting continuation of the idea and possibility would be if someone could produce a rechargeable potato battery in the shape of the typical disposable batteries (AA, AAA, etc.); this could have an interesting impact. Then the battery infrastructure and attachments are already in order and just the creation and installment of the potato energy is required.