Many people do not know that the humble potato may conduct electricity and function as a salt bridge between two metals on each side. This lets an electron current to flow easily over a wire in order to generate electricity. Alas, the tuber cannot be used as an energy source on its own.
Still, over a decade ago, researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem discovered that boiling a potato for eight minutes produced a battery with 10 times the power of a raw potato. Utilising tiny units made of a quarter-slice of potato wedged between a copper cathode and a zinc anode linked by a wire, it was determined that this device can give LED-powered lights to rooms for up to 40 days.
If only this could be used to generate the amounts of electricity that are so badly needed by South African growers…
Ebrahim Bux, who formerly worked at Eskom, rubbished the idea, saying the energy generated through this method would be too little to be of any use. ‘’It might be enough to light up very small LED lights. If you’re looking for relatively cheaper options, you can buy bulbs that have batteries built into them. They’re cost effective and vary from R50 to R80,’’ Bux said.
He advised South Africans to invest in solar geysers, change to gas stoves and get rechargeable batteries.
Source: iol.co.za