Researchers at the National University of Singapore have harnessed electricity from falling raindrops using an apparatus that mimics rainfall into a narrow vertical tube, generating enough power to light 12 LED bulbs. Wires attached at the tube’s top and bottom collect charge created through a process called charge separation.
Rain-sized droplets are released into a 32 cm tall, 2 mm wide conductive polymer tube, where plug flow – short columns of water separated by air pockets – enhances charge generation compared to steady flow. Output exceeded continuous stream methods by around 100,000‑fold and converted over 10 percent of the water’s energy into electricity.
A single setup using four tubes ran for 20 seconds at sufficient power to continuously illuminate 12 LEDs. Testing used slower droplet speeds than natural rainfall, suggesting greater efficiency under real conditions. System shows potential for compact urban use on rooftops.
Study appears in ACS Central Science. Authors include Siowling Soh and Chi Kit Ao. Work challenges constraints imposed by Debye length theory by showing scalable plug flow-based charge separation in millimetre-scale tubes.
Method uses no moving parts and outperforms traditional hydroelectric micro‑systems. Rooftop installations could capture rain without reliance on rivers or large water volumes. Resilience and low maintenance noted as advantages.
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