Using onion skin for electricity | Fusion - WeRIndia

Energy is one of the most troubling global issues of the day, since most nonrenewable sources of energy are not only being used up, but they are also negatively affecting the environment of our planet.

This is causing scientists around the world to look for renewable, clean sources of energy to replace the more commonly-used nonrenewable sources.

While clean, renewable energy sources such as hydroelectricity, solar power, and wind power are gaining ground, most of these energy sources are attained through complicated and expensive processes.

However, in IIT Kharagpur, scientists have found an unlikely new source of electricity which is commonly found in many parts of the world: onion skins.

The scientists at IIT were initially spurred to create a biodegradable and biocompatible nanogenerator, unlike the more complex and often toxic nanogenerators that are commonly found today.

Thus, they conducted research on onion skins, which were found to have piezoelectric properties. Piezoelectric materials can generate currents when even the slightest pressure is applied to them. This makes them perfect to use in the nanogenerator that the scientists have developed, since nanogenerators are made out of piezoelectric material and can generate electricity for small devices.

Since the onion skins are extremely thin, it only takes a very small amount of pressure to create a current, converting kinetic energy into electrical energy.

The discovery of this use for onion skins implies that, with the use of it, there will be a reduction in biowaste. Onion skins have the potential to power smart pills, pacemakers, and portable devices such as watches.

Onions are also very common in the average Indian household, which makes them a more readily-available source of biowaste than most other sources.

With this new breakthrough, the IIT scientists are continuing the global effort to find more readily-available, renewable, and clean sources of energy, in order to make this planet a better place to live.

Image Reference: Thebetterindia, Indiatimes