Scientists Working to Generate Electricity From Thin Air Make Breakthrough

[WVK]

Scientists have invented a device that can continuously generate electricity from thin air, offering a glimpse of a possible sustainable energy source that can be made of almost any material and runs on the ambient humidity that surrounds all of us, reports a new study.  
https://www.vice.com/en/article/93kade/scientists-working-to-generate-electricity-from-thin-air-make-breakthrough

[Wistman]

Shades of Atlas Shrugged. 

[+Desertrat56]

8 minutes ago, Wistman said:

Shades of Atlas Shrugged. 

Did you actually read that book?   I have it but never read it.  Too many people told me different things about it, my friend thought it was a love story and gave it to me.   I am not interested in love stories.   Then a guy I dated kept claiming that it was coming true, the dystopic future predicted in the book of all the smart people dropping out and letting stupid people run things.   Is that what it is about?   (of course he used it as his excuse to sit around and play video games instead of getting a job)

As for the OP, I was thinking that might be a fine device in someplace like the everglades or some other really humid area, but I don't see it working someplace that has average humidity of 9 to 12 %. 

Edited May 24, 2023 by Desertrat56

[Wistman]

1 hour ago, Desertrat56 said:

Did you actually read that book?   I have it but never read it.  Too many people told me different things about it, my friend thought it was a love story and gave it to me.   I am not interested in love stories.   Then a guy I dated kept claiming that it was coming true, the dystopic future predicted in the book of all the smart people dropping out and letting stupid people run things.   Is that what it is about?   (of course he used it as his excuse to sit around and play video games instead of getting a job)

As for the OP, I was thinking that might be a fine device in someplace like the everglades or some other really humid area, but I don't see it working someplace that has average humidity of 9 to 12 %. 

Yes, read it when at University.  In the book, John Gault invents a device that produces usable electricity from static electricity in the air.

The book is both those things you mention.  It's a little dated by way of its overarching love story and the rather shallow, stereotypical characters, but it outlines the decay of responsible government and society much as it has unfolded here over time.  The theme is overly simplistic, a little sophomoric, but it has had great influence with Libertarians.  I would recommend it if you have time, it's long.  But it's no Brothers Karamazov, and if you want to read a long, great novel, I'd recommend the Dostoevsky instead.  IMO 

[Antigonos]

1 hour ago, Wistman said:

 But it's no Brothers Karamazov, and if you want to read a long, great novel, I'd recommend the Dostoevsky instead.  IMO 

Hear, hear. I second that.

[Piney]

9 hours ago, Antigonos said:

Hear, hear. I second that.

Third it!

Ayn Rand was a douche. 

[Abramelin]

13 hours ago, WVK said:

Scientists have invented a device that can continuously generate electricity from thin air, offering a glimpse of a possible sustainable energy source that can be made of almost any material and runs on the ambient humidity that surrounds all of us, reports a new study.  
https://www.vice.com/en/article/93kade/scientists-working-to-generate-electricity-from-thin-air-make-breakthrough

That's great news!

[Jon the frog]

High tech concept of a system that work more than 48hour but how long is not specified. Not sure of sustainability.

It's always the energy investment to build the system that become the problem..

It look like a Magical tech that need precise manufacturing and will end by consuming more in energy than what it will produce in his life time.

Just take lithium battery that take more energy to produce and recycle than all the energy it will be able to contain during it's lifetime...

Solar panel managed to pass the barrier of more energy produced than taken for manufacture, maybe it will pass the cap of recycling cost.

[Nicolette]

I dont feel like sucking water droplets from the air is creating from nothing. If that is the case it runs on water.

[+Desertrat56]

13 hours ago, Wistman said:

Yes, read it when at University.  In the book, John Gault invents a device that produces usable electricity from static electricity in the air.

The book is both those things you mention.  It's a little dated by way of its overarching love story and the rather shallow, stereotypical characters, but it outlines the decay of responsible government and society much as it has unfolded here over time.  The theme is overly simplistic, a little sophomoric, but it has had great influence with Libertarians.  I would recommend it if you have time, it's long.  But it's no Brothers Karamazov, and if you want to read a long, great novel, I'd recommend the Dostoevsky instead.  IMO 

Yes, my brother used to read stuff like Brothers Kramazov.   Once he was able to cope with his dyslexia he read all the long classic tomes.   I prefer science fiction and fun fantasy (Dresden, Magic Inc, etc) but I have read some of the old novels about our dystopian future like 1984 and A Brave New World.   I guess Ann Raynd (did I spell that right) probably was smart like Huxley and Orwell, focusing on an area of their modern life and extarpolating what it will look like in 50 or 70 years.   All of them were right in a lot of ways.   Big Brother exists, just not our government; We have tons of mood altering drugs and are bombarded with commercials to take them, we are told something is wrong with us and we need the drugs; And yes our governments seem to be run by idiots nowadays, idiots owned by the Big Brother consortium.    And my family is a good example of why - too busy with their academic endeavors to pay attention to politics and voted straight ticket every election, though in her older years my mother used to write a lot of letters to local representatives and the governor.   

[Nicolette]

15 hours ago, Desertrat56 said:

Did you actually read that book?   I have it but never read it.  Too many people told me different things about it, my friend thought it was a love story and gave it to me.   I am not interested in love stories.   Then a guy I dated kept claiming that it was coming true, the dystopic future predicted in the book of all the smart people dropping out and letting stupid people run things.   Is that what it is about?   (of course he used it as his excuse to sit around and play video games instead of getting a job)

As for the OP, I was thinking that might be a fine device in someplace like the everglades or some other really humid area, but I don't see it working someplace that has average humidity of 9 to 12 %. 

I was going to say sounds like it could dry out the air but im sure it wouldnt be hard to pair with a humidifier. Just seems to make so much more sense to dump the water directly in if this is what its running on.

[+Desertrat56]

1 minute ago, Nicolette said:

I was going to say sounds like it could dry out the air but im sure it wouldnt be hard to pair with a humidifier. Just seems to make so much more sense to dump the water directly in if this is what its running on.

But that's the thing, a humidifier uses energy so what would be the point, you get nothing if you have to use a humidifier.   Now  if it worked in a bathroom with the tub filled maybe that would be worthwhile if there is not a water shortage (in the desert we always have to be concerned with water shortages).

[Abramelin]

2 hours ago, Nicolette said:

I dont feel like sucking water droplets from the air is creating from nothing. If that is the case it runs on water.

It runs on electrically charged water droplets, the same droplets that can start lightning.

Read the link, please.

It's a simple and brilliant idea.

[NCC1701]

If you're lucky you can run an LCD wristwatch from an installation the size of a football stadium.

[Vox]

Didn't Tesla think of something similar almost 100 years ago?

[Torviking]

This will go the same way as Tesla and other innovators, it will be buried by big business, because there is very little money in it for them.

[moonman]

It mentions nothing about how much power a large scale one could make. I'm guessing not much. I'd love to be wrong but I'm not seeing this replace power plants any time soon.

Edited May 26, 2023 by moonman

[+Desertrat56]

On 5/26/2023 at 7:17 AM, Torviking said:

This will go the same way as Tesla and other innovators, it will be buried by big business, because there is very little money in it for them.

Until about 30 years ago, when a lot of Tesla's patents were freed up (can't remember how many years a patent is held)   But we have all kinds of things now based on Tesla's patents and experiements including wifi.   

[Abramelin]

On 5/26/2023 at 12:28 AM, NCC1701 said:

If you're lucky you can run an LCD wristwatch from an installation the size of a football stadium.

Makes me think of this:

Fooling around with alternating currents is just a waste of time. Nobody will use it, ever. It's too dangerous . . . it could kill a man as quick as a bolt of lightning. Direct current is safe.

Thomas A. Edison

 

[Tatetopa]

As I read it, it relies on utilizing the static charge on water droplets in the atmosphere.  I don't think that would work on bodies of water.  At  its root, it seems to be a way to extract the energy the sun puts into the atmosphere through evaporation of water and ionization that occurs in the atmosphere to charge the droplets. 

Just like every other form of energy extraction or conversion, it requires energy to make the conversion.  Viability is dependent on efficiency, how much energy does it extract versus how much energy does it require.  As far as we know, there are no free lunches.  It has to be at least as efficient as wind turbines, solar cells, and power plants fired with coal or natural gas.  Otherwise, it won't get used.

[Nicolette]

On 5/25/2023 at 7:14 AM, Desertrat56 said:

But that's the thing, a humidifier uses energy so what would be the point, you get nothing if you have to use a humidifier.   Now  if it worked in a bathroom with the tub filled maybe that would be worthwhile if there is not a water shortage (in the desert we always have to be concerned with water shortages).

If it runs on water vapor.... Why even bother pulling it out of the air? In a desert there isn't much in the air. Filling a tub to make the room more humid as opposed to having a tank where you can pour a bottle of water in it seems even more ridiculous.

 

If that is what is needed just to be able to say "it runs on thin air" instead of a small amount of water then they need to tone down the marketing. And yes I did read the link but the electrical charge from water vapor is not exclusive to the air it is from the formation of the individual molecules. The technology uses the air but is dependent on the charge from dismantling water. The so-called space efficiency is based on the idea that it is stackable, unlike solar panels. Honestly being in california the last thing we need is the moisture sucked out of the air. Hopefully someone uses a little ingenuity and modifies it to run on ocean water since it has much more electrical charge than evaporated water.

The electricity comes from the molecules being unbalanced. Naturally the evaporated water holds much much less than salt water.

Edited May 28, 2023 by Nicolette

[Abramelin]

It runs on the charge of H2O molecules:

[Nicolette]

6 minutes ago, Abramelin said:

It runs on the charge of H2O molecules:

Exactly... Has nothing to do with the atmosphere i think you guys are taking thier lightning example wrong. The electricity comes from the imbalance of imperfect molecules and the destruction of them. Distilled water has less charge. Saltwater carries much more. I think the air idea is so it can work anywhere but in most cases that seems like a huge cut in efficiency to reach that possibility. They should really consider a model for people that have access to water.

[Abramelin]

11 minutes ago, Nicolette said:

23 minutes ago, Abramelin said:

 

Exactly... Has nothing to do with the atmosphere

It has everything to do with the atmosphere. Our atmosphere contains water molecules, even in dry deserts.

 

11 minutes ago, Nicolette said:

The electricity comes from the imbalance of imperfect molecules and the destruction of them.

No. Did you ever study chemistry?

And H2O is a perfect molecule.

Edited May 28, 2023 by Abramelin

[Abramelin]

On 5/25/2023 at 12:16 AM, WVK said:

Scientists have invented a device that can continuously generate electricity from thin air, offering a glimpse of a possible sustainable energy source that can be made of almost any material and runs on the ambient humidity that surrounds all of us, reports a new study.  
https://www.vice.com/en/article/93kade/scientists-working-to-generate-electricity-from-thin-air-make-breakthrough

Here you can download the paper (32 pages, plus explaining images) :

Moisture‐Enabled Electricity Generation: From Physics and Materials to Self‐Powered Applications

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346061513_Moisture-Enabled_Electricity_Generation_From_Physics_and_Materials_to_Self-Powered_Applications

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346061513_Moisture-Enabled_Electricity_Generation_From_Physics_and_Materials_to_Self-Powered_Applications/link/5fb99cac299bf104cf6a56bf/download