Capturing electrical power straight from the air may have taken one step closer to reality, according to ideas presented at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). Hygroelectricity is the term used for electrical charge on the surface of microscopic particles of water. Someday, devices could one day sit on the roof of your home, similar to solar panels, but instead of capturing sunlight they would capture electrical energy from tiny water droplets that collect on microscopic particles of dust.
“Our research could pave the way for turning electricity from the atmosphere into an alternative energy source for the future,” explains study leader Fernando Galembeck from the University of Campinas in Campinas.
Galembeck tested the theory of how water droplets pick-up an electrical charge. In his research, he simulated water contact with dust particles in the air using silica and aluminum phosphate, both common airborne substances. The silica became negatively charged and aluminum phosphate became positively charged when there was high humidity.
If devices can be made to capture these microscopic particles, then electrical power theoretically could be collected from the humid air, especially in place where solar power is not that effective, such as northeastern and southeastern United States.
Galembeck thinks that future devices could actually prevent lightning from forming and striking, with hygroelectrical panels on buildings that would drain charge out of the air, draining the charge from lightning before it strikes, as well as provide power to the electrical grid.
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