LED “Plant lamp” is powered by photosynthesis

November 24, 2015

By eeNews Europe

Power Management Optoelectronics

The Plant lamp, developed at Peru’s Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología (UTEC), is capable of supplying two hours of light per day through a low-energy-consumption, high-illumination LED lamp. The system operates with the energy stored in the soil containing nutrients and/or microorganisms released by plants during their growth, which enables use of the free electrons from the microorganisms to "feed" the lamp.

"We put the plant and soil into a wooden plant pot together with a previously established and properly protected irrigation system. Then, inside the pot we place the energy generation system that we created which stores soil and electrodes capable of converting plant nutrients into electric energy" says Elmer Ramirez, a professor of Energy and Power Engineering at UTEC and leader of the Plant lamp research team.

The beneficiaries of this project initiative are the population of the native community of Nuevo Saposa in the Amazon, which supports the ethnic group called the Shipibo Conibo, in Ucayali, a region which is noted for having the lowest rate of access to electricity.

"While there are shortages of a number of resources in Nuevo Saposoa, the absence of electric energy has a major impact on its social, educational and family development," says Jessica Ruas, UTEC Marketing Director, who adds that 10 prototypes of the Plant lamp have been delivered to families of this community.

The Nuevo Saposoa possesses an environment surrounded by vast amounts of vegetation that is rich in flora, which facilitates the creation of a solution of this nature. "We made proper use of the Amazon region’s own natural resources such as the soil and plants, in harmony with the environment without any impact whatsoever on the forest," says Ramirez.

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