A device that can power your home 24/7 from thin air sounds unreal.
In the current energy industry, new developments in power production are becoming a regular occurrence. However, most of them are merely redesigns of existing technology and do not take one great step forward for man as a species. But that is about to change.
How would you feel about a free energy source coming from nothing but the air around us?
How we move the international energy industry forward
The global energy industry has catapulted us as a species to the top of the totem pole.
Advancements in energy production have come from all corners of the market. Refineries are now much more efficient, thanks in no small part to our digitization of their operations.
More recently, the clean energy market has seen a multitude of new wind turbines and solar panels.
But as we said, all these are merely different versions of themselves, working a different way to produce the power needed for everyday life. The real question is: what measures have we taken to truly innovate the worldwide energy sector?
As we now know, necessity breeds innovation. At least in the energy industry
We have made great strides forward in developing a more environmentally friendly energy industry.
Significant advances in wind turbine manufacturing and design have brought the wind sector full circle as a great way to decarbonize our lives. While even more astonishingly advanced solar panels now dot the American landscape of homes.
But even the renewable energy market of solar power has a dark and hidden side.
As such, new, more aesthetically pleasing solar panel systems have been developed by a string of artists with a mind for energy production. So what’s next, you ask? What form of energy generation will become the latest must-have across the global market in the years to come?
Some states in the US are aiming to dig deeper than ever into the ground beneath our collective feet to unearth an ocean of energy.
But even that has its limitations, as hydropower can take years to develop. So, what pretell is the answer to innovating the international energy industry? Well, a team of researchers from the National University of Singapore has created something truly remarkable that will definitely interest you.
The answer to our power needs may lie in the air we breathe every day
A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore has created something that will leave you grasping for air.
The eggheads have created an ultra-thin, 0.3 mm-thick, fabric-based device that absorbs energy in our air to produce electricity. It does this by generating electricity collected from the air moisture and heat in the air around us to produce 0.7 volts for over 150 hours.
And the costs of producing this electricity will shock you, for sure.
The team noted that by generating electricity this way, the “device” can make power for approximately $0.15/sqm. A truly remarkable achievement as homes around the nation search for the next method to reduce their monthly electric bills.
While we complain about sky-high bills, this team has taken the energy initiative and has made a fabric-like device that will reshape the energy industry.
It uses what the team describes as a hygroscopic ionic hydrogel. Think of it as a water-loving salty gel with profound implications for energy production. While the technology is still in its infancy and has a long way to go, it proves that innovating the energy sector has become a must.
As myths around the renewable energy sector are debunked, this innovation has taken a dramatic step forward in ensuring our energy future.