Desperate times call for desperate measures. And with South Africa’s load shedding reportedly possibly shooting to Stage 10, people are looking for solutions anywhere they can.
The humble potato is a very versatile crop. It can be served in many different states and even make alcohol. It is almost a high-school rite of passage to learn how this vegetable conducts electricity.
This experiment demonstrates that the potato cannot be used as an energy source on its own. Because of its characteristics, the potato may conduct electricity and function as a salt bridge between two metals on each side. This lets an electron current to flow easily over a wire in order to generate electricity.
Over a decade ago, researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem discovered that boiling a potato for eight minutes produced a battery with 10 times the power of a raw potato.
Utilising tiny units made of a quarter-slice of potato wedged between a copper cathode and a zinc anode linked by a wire, it was determined that this device can give LED-powered lights to rooms for up to 40 days.
It is no surprise that attention has turned to the potato’s potential, however little it may be.
Ebrahim Bux, who formerly worked at Eskom, rubbished the idea, saying the energy generated through this method would be too little to be of any use.
‘’It might be enough to light up very small LED lights. If you’re looking for relatively cheaper options, you can buy bulbs that have batteries built into them. They’re cost effective and vary from R50 to R80,’’ Bux said.
He advised South Africans to invest in solar geysers, change to gas stoves and get rechargeable batteries.
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