Scientists Claim They Can Convert Humidity into Energy Using Almost Any Material

In a discovery that is likely to excite opponents of the fossil fuel industry, scientists claim to have developed technology that can use any material to generate energy out of thin air, provided the air is humid enough.

The study, led by University of Massachusetts at Amherst engineering professor Jun Yao, examined the use of nanopores (tiny punctures, less than a thousandth of the width of a human hair) made in materials allowing vapor to pass through in a way that generates an electrical charge.

Yao’s team developed a prototype of the device, called an “Air-Gen,” which is capable of generating a small charge. However, the product is a long way off from being able to generate a useable amount of power.

Via the Washington Post:

While one prototype only produces a small amount of energy — almost enough to power a dot of light on a big screen — because of its size, Yao said Air-gens can be stacked on top of each other, potentially with spaces of air in between. Storing the electricity is a separate issue, he added.

Yao estimated that roughly 1 billion Air-gens, stacked to be roughly the size of a refrigerator, could produce a kilowatt and partly power a home in ideal conditions. The team hopes to lower both the number of devices needed and the space they take up by making the tool more efficient. Doing that could be a challenge.

Global elites have spent the better part of two decades obsessed with finding “clean” sources of energy, a goal that has proven elusive. Wind turbines are notoriously inefficient, while the boom in demand for lithium caused by the rise in electric vehicles has led to massive ecological consequences, and a boom in unsafe mining in the third world.