Power to the Potato
Here’s some fascinating tech news from Israel, where researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have developed a new type of organic electric battery made from boiled potatoes.
Their findings have just been published in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, and detail uses of the batteries in the developing world where infrastructure is lacking. The apparently highly efficient battery is made from zinc and copper electrodes and a potato slice which has been boiled. The act of boiling the potato increased the electric power around 10 fold in comparison to an untreated potato, giving it power for days, and sometimes weeks depending on the conditions.
This development will be a godsend in developing nations, because boiled potatoes are obviously much cheaper than conventional batteries, leave no waste, and are infinitely renewable.
Frank says: