Water, new source of electricity

2004/01/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Fisika

Canadian scientists have developed a method to generate electrical force by taking advantage of the characteristics of water, passing water through very small channels. It is the only method that has been invented in the last 150 years to obtain electricity.

To do this, in a small glass block they have made about 500,000 holes, small holes of 10 micrometers in diameter, which have pumped with great pressure so that the water passes through them. At that moment an electricovicola layer is formed in the water: one layer with positive charge on one side of the channel and another with negative charge. This is the case of ions in liquid, when they come into contact with non-conductive solids, and taking advantage of the movement of electrons that is generated, they create a small battery. Non-polluting battery, yes.

Although water is used in this method, it has nothing to do with hydraulic energy sources, since the new method does not generate electricity by mechanical force but by separation of loads.

At the moment they have achieved a low efficiency, 1%, and to compete with other energy sources they must reach at least 16%. Meanwhile, it can serve as a battery of mobile phones and other small electronic devices, as the microchannel prototype is capable of generating a current around 10 volts and a milliampere.