Post by soumyasarkar59 on Feb 17, 2024 6:56:33 GMT -5
The search for renewable energy sources, including wind , solar , hydroelectric , geothermal and biomass dams , has concerned scientists and policymakers alike, due to their enormous potential in combating climate change. A new study from Tel Aviv University finds that water vapor in the atmosphere can serve as a potential source of renewable energy in the future. The research, led by Prof. Colin Price in collaboration with Prof. Hadas Saaroni and PhD student Judi Lax, all from TAU's Porter School of Environment and Earth Sciences, is based on the discovery that Electricity materializes in the interaction between water molecules and metal surfaces. "We are seeking to capitalize on a natural phenomenon: the electricity of water ," explains Professor Price. «Electricity in thunderstorms is generated only by water in its different phases: water vapor, water droplets and ice.
Twenty minutes of cloud development is how we go from water droplets to enormous electrical discharges, lightning, about 800 meters long." The researchers set out to try to produce a small, low-voltage battery that uses only moisture in the air, building on the findings of previous discoveries. In the 19th century, for example, English physicist Michael Faraday discovered that water Cell Phone Number List droplets could charge metal surfaces due to friction between the two. A much more recent study showed that certain metals spontaneously build up an electrical charge when exposed to moisture. Scientists conducted a laboratory experiment to determine the voltage between two different metals exposed to high relative humidity, while one is grounded. "We found that there was no voltage between them when the air was dry," explains Professor Price. "But once the relative humidity increased above 60%, a voltage began to develop between the two insulated metal surfaces.
When we lowered the humidity level below 60%, the voltage disappeared. When we performed the experiment outdoors in natural conditions, we saw the same results. «Water is a very special molecule. During molecular collisions, you can transfer an electrical charge from one molecule to another. Through friction, it can generate a kind of static electricity,” says Professor Price. "We tried to reproduce electricity in the laboratory and found that different insulated metal surfaces will accumulate different amounts of charge from water vapor in the atmosphere, but only if the relative humidity of the air is greater than 60%. This happens almost every day in the summer in Israel and every day in most tropical countries." According to Professor Price, this study challenges established ideas about moisture and its potential as an energy source. "People know that dry air generates static electricity and that you sometimes 'shock' when you touch a metal door handle. Water is normally considered a good conductor of electricity, not something that can accumulate charge on a surface.