Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Michigan and MIT have created glass "leaves" with networks of veiny channels filled with water. The smallest channels extend all the way to the edges of the leaf, where open ends allow water to evaporate, which draws water along the central stem of the leaf -- at a rate of about 1.5 centimeters per second. The glass leaves have been wired for electricity by adding metal plates to the walls of the central stems and connecting them to a circuit. Researchers then charge the plates and the water inside the stems creates two conducting layers separated by an insulating layer, which acts as a capacitor. The waterflow is then periodically interrupted with air bubbles, and every time a bubble passes through the plates a small electrical current is generated -- about 2 - 5 microvolts per bubble. The team thinks that on a large scale,
artificial trees could be use to generate large amounts of energy entirely through evaporation.
posted August 3rd 2009 4:13AM
my first first. and this is neat as hell.
Brilliant? Yes. The down sides will include the enviro-nazis complaining about our water supply being fed to environmentally-unfriendly artificial trees, which were planted where forests of real trees used to be. Why not use this on those many glass-clad buildings we see everywhere?
@adam
First of all, the idea sounds infinitely more aesthetic than using the glass clad buildings [we already have]. It's not like we have as many glass clad buildings here in all of Wisconsin as there are in New York City alone, so I wouldn't mind seeing the attempt made on a large scale.
Brilliant!
it is a nice idea the only practical way to produce electricity without fossil fuels is to go Nuclear. i mean im all for eco friendly ways to produce power but along side with Nuclear power because whether it is solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, or this new idea its very limited in its ability to produce electricity. Nuclear power is the ONLY PROVEN options to produce electricity on a global scale and research in Nuclear fusion will ultimately get rid of the "Nuclear waste problem".
@rinum009: while nuclear power may seem nice, because you get a large amount of electricity from just one power plant, it isn't the cheapest, cleanest available power to mankind. Nuclear fusion might change all that, but there is no reason we need to continue to build nuclear fission plans ... is there?
I am from Germany and half of our nuclear power plants are either shut down or not running anymore. We have no problems with electricity anywhere ... and in the south nearly every third roof is covered with solar panels ...
Solar is the way to go but it would require revamping our entire electric grid in the US to afford for the power fluctuations that natural energy provides. Nuclear lets us keep the same solid power structure that we're accustomed to with coal and gas and more importantly (for the electric companies) nuclear leaves them in control of energy pricing and usage.
So in the short term, nuclear is the most viable green solution for the people with money (IE: electric companies) to build. Individuals and corporations like google can take themselves off the grid with solar/wind but it can't be done on a massive scale yet.
Coal and gas are probably still cheaper though, but I don't have any numbers over the long term compared to a modern nuclear plant.
To build a Nuclear power plant cost much more than coal powered plants and thats where government subsidy come in but the actual day to day costs of operating a Nuclear power plan is comparable to coal power plants.
@sebbi your country might have no problems with electricity anywhere but Germany's carbon dioxide emissions per capita are among the highest in the EU so to shut down Nuclear power plants would be a terrible idea and the sad part about it its usually the most technologically advanced countries who pollute the most and it shouldn't be like that. Germany, United States, the EU we should lead by examples.
Great! But will a tree have enough energy to power my USB Humping Dog?
Fantastic sounds great! I bet it turns out like all other eco-friendly ideas where its either not cost viable, or the necessary conditions could not be met. Some stuff about whether conditions will be thrown in somewhere no doubt as well, such as must operate in 100+ degrees farenheight areas, limiting it to remote deserts with no cost effective way of linking to the power grid.
It regularly gets above 100F here in Houston, TX during the summer.
Why would you need to have 100+ degree temps? Water doesn't have to be "hot" to evaporate. I would think you'd worry more about humidity than ambient temperatures
Why didn't I choose berkeley.. Brilliant stuff!
Bah! Cal Poly Pomona is where it's at. Berkeley doesn't have aerospace engineering. You know, the class where they teach you to shoot off rockets an' shit.
Or maybe the "real" Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo) with the best undergrad EE program in the country.
Great stuff. Always been impressed by those folk at Berkeley.
One question though, how robust are these things? Would be a shame if a little bit of wind damaged them. Also, where does the water come from?
"where does the water come from?" - I assume the same place every other tree get's it.
@simbr
""where does the water come from?" - I assume the same place every other tree get's it."
which would give you residue clogging up your system all the time.
Work was actually conducted at the University of Michigan.
2 problems:
1) High humidity - no evaporation
2) Below freezing - exploding glass limbs. Fun for all the family.
Ya sure about that first part? Where did all the water in the air come from, I wonder?
@ serious sam:
16% of all of the FRESH water on the planet is in the atmosphere. It is called the hydrological cycle.
And you would have to have 100 % humidity to get no evaporation.
I think there are other ways to design this that are more practical but this is a beginning - we really do need to figure other ways to produce electricity and all need to be 1st Law systems. If you don't understand that bit, retake your high school physics class.
As for below freezing - consider the possibility of a dual system that produces electricity from expansion and contraction of the water during the freeze thaw cycle OR use a Seebeck effect thermal system that can use the difference in temperatures to produce a current - more than mili-amps, too.
Cheers
2 more:
-mineral buildup
-mold and mildew
So we'll put them in the SF/bay area, where we never experience either of those two things.
@Chris: er, all power system have maintenance of some kind. Yes, you'll have to clean them every once in a while, just like everything else in existence.
I see nothing wrong here. I will click your link, good sir!
It's like discovering an unflushed turd!
This is an interesting idea, but if they're looking to generate power by moving water, standard hydro-electric power looks like a much better option to me.
Though they might be able to produce a small 'houseplant' for personal use (paid for by the individual consumer) that feeds back into the grid (or charges something). That would likely be the easiest way to get funding to pay for such an idea, or at least a decent supplement to investors.
Come on, 2-5 microvolts of /current/? How does this happen every single time that engadget has an article about anything involving electricity?
Sigh another GIMMICK, Brilliant research but so is also slapping a micro dildo on the back of a fly...cool yeah but workable no!
That's per bubble per leaf.
Add lights and you've got a self-powered street decoration.
duh that is what trees are for. PLANT A FEW
If we were going to cover large areas of land with these artificial trees, it seems to me that the power generated by photovoltaic cells would dwarf any practical output from the transpiration system, which might actually be counterproductive since the increased setup cost could push the price of the generated electricity out of competitiveness.
Its still technically solar power so I don't think this is for efficiency purposes but for the same reason people buy Lamborghini. Penis size deficiency.
Surely a better idea is to implement this in structures that already use a lot of glass... like buildings...
I only comprehended the last sentence..
I wonder how much damage a nice hail storm would cause...
Sure, let's waste some water.
We may all die of thirst, but dammit we'll be able to watch out HDTVs!
Global clouding anyone?
It seems to me that this is not actually sweating, since sweat is generated in response to heat, then pumped to the skin surface by smooth muscle contraction. At that point, evaporation causes the cooling effect. This is why botulinum can be used as an antiperspirant by paralyzing the smooth muscle cells
This device is dependent on capillary action and transpiration pull, where the evaporation itself is responsible for the motive force, much like a plant leaf.
i think you meant to say LEAFS... NOT LEAVES
no, dala, the plural of leaf actually is leaves.
unless we're not speaking english here...
All we need to do now is to cut down all the remaining rainforest, and replant with these glass trees...