The renewable industry has been a centre for innovation for as long as it has been around. Each invention brings us closer and closer to a net zero future. This fascinating new design from the CATCHER project aims to harvest the latent power of the air around us to power our homes, cities, and lives. What does this mean for the renewable industry and, more pressingly, for our climate future?
Something out of nothing: the history of atmospheric power
Designs targeted at drawing power from the air can be traced to Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla. In the early twentieth century, Tesla began experimenting with the electrical charges in the atmosphere (as opposed to this deep sea energy source found at the bottom of the ocean).
His goal of converting the electrical charges in the atmosphere into useful electrical energy was, unfortunately, not realised during his lifetime. Ever since Tesla’s day, scientists have endeavoured to generate electricity from the air around us.
Recently, this aspiration has been realised. Researchers in the CATCHER project have developed a way to channel the miniscule charges of static electricity found in the gaseous water molecules in the atmosphere, into usable electrical current known as hygroelectricity or humidity electricity.
The project is spearheaded by Andriy Lyubchyk who is the chief executive officer of the Portuguese start-up Cascatachuva Lda. Lyubchyk is also a chemical engineer at Lusophone University of Humanities and Technologies in Lisbon, Portugal.
The programme that is generating electricity from thin air
CATCHER draws its funding from the European Innovation Council’s Pathfinder programme. 22% of the EU’s energy comes from renewable sources of energy. This programme could assist the EU in reaching its 2030 goal of sourcing 45% of its energy from renewables.
To harness the static electricity in the air, CATCHER uses panel-like zirconium oxide cells. Zirconium oxide is a hard crystalline ceramic material found in anything from dental implants to electronics and cladding for nuclear fuel rods.
Researchers working on the project found that an eight by five centimetre plate of zirconium oxide can generate 0.9 V in laboratory conditions of 50% humidity. For scale, this is roughly the amount of electricity produced by half an AA battery.
It is important to note, however, that the project is still in its infancy. Scientists are working on making the process more efficient. Current speculations expect hygroelectricity to be able to produce the same amount of electricity as a photovoltaic cell of the same size in the future.
How is it possible to create electricity from thin air?
It seems that the answer to this over-a-century-old question is the zirconium oxide. To create these cells, small, uniform nanoparticles of zirconium oxide are compressed into a sheet of material that has a uniform structure throughout, and a collection of channels or capillaries.
This nanostructure produces electrical fields within the capillaries. These electrical fields separate charge from the water molecules in the atmosphere. This produces a cascade of physiochemical, physical and electrophysical processes that work to capture electrical energy.
While this complex process does not quite produce electricity from thin air, it comes pretty close. Important to note, however, is that hygroelectricity requires atmospheric humidity to function. In areas where humidity is low, like very cold regions, the system will not produce electricity.
What does the future of hygroelectricity look like?
Hygroelectricity, though a relatively new entrant to the renewable sphere, has the potential to provide renewable solutions to regions where other sources of renewable energy are not possible – like areas with little direct sunlight but plenty of rainfall. New renewables (like this infinite, invisible power source) continue to emerge, disrupting the renewable industry for the better.
