7 unusual alternative electricity sources for a sustainable future

Every year, we need more electricity. Scientists have to invent unconventional ways to obtain it, inexpensive and safe for the atmosphere. Let's explore unusual developments in electric power that meet these demands.

Energy from sea waves

In April 2021, the British company Mocean Energy presented Blue X, a prototype of an installation that will convert the kinetic energy of sea waves into electricity.

Blue X installation (Photo: Mocean Energy)

The principle of operation is as follows: the installation is placed on the surface of the water, it rocks on the waves, and sets the hinge in the middle in motion. This, in turn, starts the generator, which produces electricity and redirects it to the land via cables.

What's the use: According to Mocean Energy, if we use at least 1% of all available wave energy in the world, we can provide electricity to 50 million buildings. 

Energy from DNA

Organic molecules can convert solar energy into electricity. In 2021, German scientists managed to synthesise a supramolecular — that is, more complex than a regular molecule — system based on DNA.

Structure of the supramolecule (Photo: frontiersin.org)

The basis of the system is a fullerene, a “soccer ball” made of 60 carbon atoms. A dye is attached to it, which absorbs sunlight and gives the resulting energy to the fullerene. However, here's the challenge: if these supramolecules are not ordered, the current between them will flow with difficulty, and over time, it will completely die out.

Scientists have proposed a solution: they fixed supramolecules based on fullerenes and a dye to the DNA helix. This way, the electron movements become ordered, and the electric current does not die out.

What's the use: According to researchers, solar panels made of DNA will not appear on our roofs soon, but work is actively going on in this direction. Based on their forecasts, the technology could be cheaper, stronger, and more durable than silicon-based solar panels.

Respirators with solar batteries

Berlin inventor Heinz Knupske turned a respirator into a device that generates electricity. In fact, it is a mask we are already quite used to, with a small solar battery attached to its surface.

A schematic of a respirator with a solar battery looks like this (Photo: photovoltaik.eu)

What's the use: The battery generates energy, which is enough to charge a phone or watch. At the beginning of 2021, China had already established mass production of “solar” masks and sent the first batch to Europe.

Solar sails

In 2019, the Planetary Society deployed the LightSail 2 sail on one of the SpaceX rockets, and it successfully passed the tests.

LightSail 2 during deployment (Photo: The Planetary Society)

A solar sail is almost the same as a regular sail on a ship. Only it is not the wind that sets it in motion, but solar energy — a flow of charged particles emitted by the Sun. If you catch this flow of energy, you can travel in space for a long time along a given route, and won’t need fuel for this.

What’s the use: Using the developments of the Planetary Society, in 2021, NASA plans to fly to the Moon with the help of a sail, and then go to the near-Earth asteroid 1991 VG.

“Endless” energy from the air

In 2020, scientists from the University of Massachusetts created Air-gen, a generator that creates electricity using natural protein and moisture from the air.

A graphic image of a film of protein nanowires that generate electricity using atmospheric moisture (Photo: UMass Amherst / Yao and Lovley labs)

Using the proteobacteria Geobacter, scientists are growing a protein that can conduct electricity. They make a film less than 10 microns thick — several times thinner than a human hair — and place it between two electrodes. The protein absorbs moisture from the air and, thanks to its fine pores, creates a current between the electrodes.

Air-gen shows its best results at 45% humidity, but it can also cope in arid regions like the Sahara. The generator is not affected by weather conditions and even works indoors.

What's the use: For now, Air-gen is only powerful enough to power small electronics. Soon, scientists will develop a version for mobile phones and smart watches so that they never run out of power. And if researchers can combine Air-gen with wall paint, homes will have an endless source of electricity.

Electricity from wood

If you compress wood and then return it to its original state, it generates an electrical voltage, albeit very low. Scientists from Switzerland conducted several experiments and, in 2021, managed to turn wood into a mini-generator.

The researchers changed the chemical composition of wood. They placed it in a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid, dissolved one of the components of tree bark — lignin — and left only cellulose. As a result, the wood turned into a “sponge” that, after compression, returns to its original shape on its own. According to scientists, such a sponge generates an electrical voltage 85 times higher than ordinary wood.

This is what wood looks like after lignin has been dissolved (Photo: SAU Nano / Empa)

What’s the use: The researchers are currently testing the resulting material. They have already found that the energy from 30 wooden blocks, 1.5 cm long, is enough to power an LCD display.

Liquid fuel from solar energy

Currently, electricity is generated by burning organic fuels, such as coal and natural gas. This method has two problems: organic fuels are harmful to the environment, and they will eventually run out. This forces scientists to look for a replacement for organics.

Since 2001, Chinese scientists have been trying to convert solar energy into liquid fuel. After 20 years, they have succeeded.

The researchers managed to obtain a liquid product with a minimum of impurities — the methanol content in it reaches 99.5%. This required three steps:

• Convert the light generated by solar panels into energy

• Use this electricity to decompose water into hydrogen and oxygen

• Combine hydrogen and carbon monoxide to produce methanol

To get the required amount of sunlight, researchers use entire solar panel farms

What's the use: Unlike oil and coal, this fuel burns cleanly. If China manages to make liquid methanol production mass-scale, there will be much less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere — China accounts for about 29% of global emissions.

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