Stick an electrode in a tree, and what do you get?
Turns out the answer is — electrical power.
Not much, but enough to run an electrical circuit. And that’s worth something, right? After all, if one tree can run one circuit, a whole forest could potentially provide enough power for … a whole bunch of circuits.
And that idea seems to have inspired at least a few individuals.
According to an article in Newswise: “A study last year from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that plants generate a voltage of up to 200 millivolts when one electrode is placed in a plant and the other in the surrounding soil. Those researchers have since started a company developing forest sensors that exploit this new power source.”
No one is suggesting that trees are the next Hoover Dam. But the group seems to think that sensors plugged into maples and oaks could monitor environmental conditions in the woods. They could, perhaps, alert rangers to a fire, a drought or other concerning events.
In an interesting twist, it seems that the research group does know that electricity is available from trees, but not why.
Unlike the classic “lemon battery” experiment, their circuits don’t rely on the interaction between acids and two different types of metal. In fact, their circuits seem to derive their power directly from Mother Nature.
Photo courtesy of stock.xchng