Friday, May 13, 2022

Algae Power

Using algae as a solar power source.

The new algae energy harvester placed a species of blue-green algae in a small container with some water, with the entire unit being about as big as a AA battery. Electrons are collected by an aluminum electrode and shuttled out to run an Arm Cortex M0+, a low-power microprocessor that’s commonly used in Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

The researchers left the system running in a “domestic” environment in “semi-outdoor” conditions (which we take to mean on someone’s porch), where it reliably produced electricity for the microprocessor long-term. The paper only describes the first six months, but the team says it’s still chugging away now after being left alone for a full year.

The algae-based energy harvester doesn’t generate a huge amount of power, but it’s enough for Internet of Things devices, which are increasing in number. Made of inexpensive and common components, and lasting much longer than traditional lithium batteries, these devices could make for a more environmentally friendly power source, particularly in remote areas.

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