Gravity: An alternative alternative energy?
A Dutch architect has developed a new technique to generate free energy in a sustainable way at home, whereby energy is released by perpetually unbalancing a weight -- offering an alternative to solar and wind technology.
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Gravity, an inexhaustible and always present source of power for harvesting energy from falling or tilting objects. Credit: Universe Architecture |
"Thanks to clever use of gravity, the energy yield from the so-called Piezomethod, which converts mechanical pressure into electrical energy, is increased from 20 to 80 percent," said Theo de Vries, system architect and senior lecturer of the group Robotics and Mechatronics, associated with the University of Twente. "Ruijssenaars literally turned the method on its head, as a result of which we, as scientists, have started to look at this method in a new light. Everything that is currently offered as mechanical energy will actually be useful, thanks to the invention."
"In situations where we cannot work sustainably with solar modules, we may well be able to use this new technique," said Professor Beatriz Noheda, faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen who believes piezoelectric energy harvesting is a real part of the future.
Practical applications are being sought for the technique, such as the manufacture of a sustainable and, therefore, "clean" phone charger, or a generator for lighting in homes, among endless other possibilities.
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