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Rain Power: Harvesting Energy from the Sky

source: physorg.com | Jan 23, 08 | submitted by Daniel

Grenoble, France - Researchers who study energy harvesting see energy all around us – we just need to find a way to capture that energy. One of the latest energy harvesting techniques is converting the mechanical energy from falling raindrops into electricity that can be used to power sensors and other electronics devices.

Scientists from CEA/Leti-Minatec, an R&D institute in Grenoble, France, specializing in microelectronics, have recently developed a system that recovers the vibration energy from a piezoelectric structure impacted by a falling raindrop.


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"Our work could be considered as a good alternative to power systems in raining outdoor environments where solar energy is difficult to exploit,”
- Thomas Jager, Scientist

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