Could it power the world? For more than 100 years, scientists have dreamed of creating electricity from the atmosphere. Now it has become a reality.
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Scientists make clean energy out of thin air
Could it power the world? For more than 100 years, scientists have dreamed of creating electricity from the atmosphere. Now it has become a reality.
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What's happening?
The discovery came by accident. The team at MassachusettsA state in the northeast USA. University were working on a device to measure humidityThe amount of water vapour in the air. in the air. "For whatever reason," says Professor Jun Yao, "the student forgot to plug in the power."
But then the device started working without it. Everyone was shocked.
They had accidentally found a way to create electricityA kind of energy that can be controlled and sent through wires. It powers such things as heaters, light bulbs and computers. using air.
A cloud, one key scientist explains, "is nothing more than a mass of water droplets. Each of those droplets contains a charge, and when conditions are right, the cloud can produce a lightning bolt... What we've done is to create a human-built, small-scale cloud."
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The team have called their invention the Air-gen - short for "air generator".
A Ukrainian family based in Portugal have been working on the same idea. Svitlana Lyubchyk and her twin sons Andriy and Sergiy have come up with a small device as well.
A stack the size of a washing machine could produce enough electricity every day to power the average house in Britain.
If lots of people made electricity from the air, it could help the fight against global warmingThe Earth is getting hotter due to climate change.. Today, most of the world's energy comes from burning fossil fuelsFuels made from decomposing plants and animals, including coal, natural gas and oil. These fuels release carbon dioxide, causing global warming., which causes climate changeLong-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Human action is a major cause of climate change..
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Could it power the world?
Yes! There is a huge amount of air in the world and it is always around. The weather does not matter. This could be the clean energy we are looking for.
No! The energy would still need to be taken to where it is needed, and this is not easy. It will take a long time and a lot of money for everybody to be able to use this invention.
Keywords
Massachusetts - A state in the northeast USA.
Humidity - The amount of water vapour in the air.
Electricity - A kind of energy that can be controlled and sent through wires. It powers such things as heaters, light bulbs and computers.
Global warming - The Earth is getting hotter due to climate change.
Fossil fuels - Fuels made from decomposing plants and animals, including coal, natural gas and oil. These fuels release carbon dioxide, causing global warming.
Climate change - Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Human action is a major cause of climate change.
Scientists make clean energy out of thin air
Frightening lightning: The Ancient Greeks believed that thunderbolts showed Zeus's anger. Glossary
Massachusetts - A state in the northeast USA.
Humidity - The amount of water vapour in the air.
Electricity - A kind of energy that can be controlled and sent through wires. It powers such things as heaters, light bulbs and computers.
Global warming - The Earth is getting hotter due to climate change.
Fossil fuels - Fuels made from decomposing plants and animals, including coal, natural gas and oil. These fuels release carbon dioxide, causing global warming.
Climate change - Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Human action is a major cause of climate change.