This hydropower harnesses energy one water drop at a time
The friction generated by a single droplet can light 15 LEDs
Ilima Loomis
Feb 9, 2018 — 7:20 am EST
A rainy day can be a chance to recharge — literally. While you relax on the couch with a movie, the raindrops falling on your windows might one day provide the power for your TV. This is the idea behind an invention that harvests energy from water, one drop at a time.
The technology is based on the triboelectric (TRY-boh-ee-LEK-trik) effect, explains David Ma. The triboelectric effect is the generation of an electric charge due to friction. An engineer at the University of Hawaii in Manoa, Ma knew that it’s possible to generate electricity by rubbing two things together. So, he thought, “Why don’t we use water?â€
https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/hydropower-harnesses-energy-one-water-drop-time
