Plant-e’s literally ‘green’ electricity

The Dutch company Plant-e is developing a system to generate the greenest electricity you can possibly think of; electricity from plants. Since the project started as a spin-off from the Wageningen University in 2009, Plant-e has intensely been searching for ways to use plants as a source of electricity. In November 2014, Plant-e launched its first two systems in Zaandam and Ede-Wageningen, generating enough electricity to power 300 LED-lights!
A great benefit of the Plant-e system, next to its sustainability, is the fact that de technique does not harm the plants that are used. In fact, only living plants are able to generate electricity! Plants have the characteristic to absorb sunlight and convert it into organic material. A part of this material is transported through the roots and ends up in the soil, where bacteria degrade it. That process releases electrodes and Plant-e has found a way to generate power from those electrodes. For a more extensive explanation you can watch the video above.
You might wonder what can we do with this electricity? Well, Plant-e’s first launched systems generated enough power to get LED-lights running, meaning that streetlights will be able to run on Plant-e systems. Moreover, Plant-e has the goal to put their systems on the roofs of buildings, where they can supply enough electricity for half the household! In the near future we might also be able to charge our laptops and mobile devices by literally ‘green’ electricity.
Especially for poor, rural areas where people still have no access to electricity, Plant-e’s systems might be an incredible solution, because Plant-e’s systems can perfectly generate electricity in rice fields, polluted areas or other kind of wetlands!
Of course, at SD Trading we find this an incredible invention by Plant-e. Since we are very concerned with protecting our beautiful nature, we are contributing through producing amazing sustainable disposables. It is great to get inspired by sustainable initiatives like this