re: #21 SixDegrees

Well, the potatoes don’t, but the zinc and copper electrodes are another matter. They degrade as current is drawn from the system, and need to be replaced and disposed of properly.

Interesting that boiling makes such a big difference in output. I’ll have to find out why.

About 15 years ago, my kids had a potato-powered clock that ran off the same principle. And many decades ago, when I was a kid, we built something similar that managed to deflect a voltmeter needle. Not very useful; today’s electronics require such a small amount of power, though, that they can actually do something with that trickle.

For all these reasons, I’m still trying to decide whether this article got lifted from The Onion. I keep expecting to see a picture of an iPhone with an Idaho Baker slapped on the back of it.

Can we not deep fry them in silica oil and develop micro-chip technology with sour cream and onion flavoring?