Four Weird Ways to Make Electricity

When you think of newer ways to make electricity, solar cells and wind turbines may come to mind. But scientists can make the stuff from just about anything. And they're working on some truly bizarre ways to generate power.

Hosted by: Niba @NotesbyNiba (she/her)
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[whitestarlinegoodnight]

"Even bones can be piezoelectric"

_So that's why my joints crack like a glowstick_

[waitselljones]

I don't think I've seen this woman, Niba, in other videos but I actually quite liked her in this one. The way she speaks is right to the point, paced well, sounds smooth, and without any excess dramaticism. I wouldn't mind her in more videos.

[davidioanhedges]

Clarification : piezoelectricity works on *changes* in pressure, not simply pressure, which is why sound is a good source

[stax]

Dang, and here I was hoping for one of them to be "Potato". :(

[btfilther]

She somehow manages to be both soothing and engaging. Nice video.

[SAMURIADI]

that thumbnail is giving ElectroBOOM a aneurysm "THERE IS NO WAY TO GENERATE POWER OUT OF NOTHING"

[TimeSurfer]

Niba, I need to point out that, at about 5:55, the 12V car battery you compared the leaf to is comparing 6 cells in series, with the single cell that the leaf is. So, the leaf cell is closer to 1/10th the voltage of the car battery, than the miniscule amount your comparison suggests.
Also, the voltage of the leaf cell might be easily raised with different materials on the cathode and anode.

[EVD]

I love the new sets so much. The green screen stuff was great, but this feels easier to digest

[MorgenPeschke]

I can think of a bunch of situations where the environment is colder than a human body, and running out of light is a Very Bad Thing.

If that headlamp fueled by body heat is reliable, it could literally be a lifesaver

[iBeast_Mde]

A fun fact about Piezo electricity, it can be used to create motion with electricity, like in a quartz powered clock or watch. There are (diesel) injectors that are actuated not by solenoids or other electrical means but by Piezo electricity, which has multiple advantages; the main one being the fast acting nature compared to something comparatively high mass as an solenoid and also the longevity is a large factor.

I own a car with an engine that has that (an VW 1.9 TDI, an inline 4 turbo charged diesel, engine code ASZ) and it has racked up 540k km or around 335k miles with the original Bosch injectors from the factory. Let's be generous here, with the fact that it has mostly done highway miles at around 70 mph. It does about 2000 revolutions a second. Since it's a four stroke it means every other revolution a combustion event occures. That equates to about 290.000.000(!) ( 335.000 miles / 70 mph * 60 minutes * 1000 injections per minute ) injection cycles on each of all four injectors. Mind you that in semi-modern diesels it's not unheard of for an injector to file up to 7 times every combustion event. It's not hard to imagine the actual number might be closer to a billion actuations, especially if you consider the average speed is actually lower which means more firing events per mile.. It boggles my mind when I think about this.

[Alice_Walker]

It's so comforting to me amongst all the climate change disasters to see content about the ingenuity of science exploring alternative ways to power things 🙌🏻

[SuperStrikeagle]

Its been a while since i last watched scishow, WHATS THAT SET! THATS AMAZING! Great production guys!

[andreyrumming]

Weird ways we make electricity:
1. Sound (Piezo electrics)
2. Heat (Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators or RTGs)
3. Light (Solar panels / Photosynthesis)
4. Air (Enzyme Hydrogenase turning hydrogen into electricity directly / Clouds and humidity)

[HotelPapa]

That electron flow animation illustrating the thermoelectiv effect can't be right. That would lead to high voltage and charge between the warm an cold end of the circuit in no time.
In this, like in any other electric circuit, electrons flow along a circular path.
The two metals present in the thermoelectric jucnction create a voltage difference that changes with temperature, which creates the electric "pressure" that forces electrons around.

[robertparkinson]

Piezoelectric is used in atomic force microscopes and scanning tunnelling electron microscopes. The samples are moved relative to a sharp probe. The ultra fine movement is controlled by varying the voltage applied to the crystals. These sort of microscopes were used in 1989 to write IBM out of 35 atoms.

[outlawbillionairez]

I make electricity shuffling across carpet in slippers.
Then getting hit with 40, 000 volts when I touch refrigerator. ⚡

[ericmorris]

I read a research paper about the “Photo flexoelectric effect” recently. I think it’s worth a look if you liked this video.

[The-One-and-Only]

Can't wait to get an RTG powered car

[michaelzatarga]

Well done Niba...I truly appreciate your approach and straightforwardness. Great job

[DoctorX]

Missing piece of info for the “leaf battery” thing — what sort of current (amps) does it generate? Putting them in series could get you to 12v, but it definitely won’t generate as much power as the car battery