Innovation at its Best

Power is the difference between dreams and reality. You may want to do a lot of things, but due to the lack of power you are unable to do them. In some cases it is quite literally electric power, or the lack of it, that stands in the path of progress in an area. To beat this deficiency a number of innovative technologies have been developed over the years. Here we take a look at a few such science projects that have helped humanity.

If plants can create energy why can’t we? Daniel Nocera, a biochemist, invented the “artificial leaf” to help generate power supply using water and sunlight. It is essentially a silicon wafer that splits the hydrogen and oxygen when placed in water. The hydrogen is collected in a fuel cell and put to good use. Initially there was a problem with the “leaf” using dirty water, but now that too has been overcome.

Solar energy when harvested correctly can light up a home for many hours. However the solar panels get charged correctly only when the rays of the sun fall on them directly. As the sun’s rays keep shifting angles all through the day a lot of potential solar energy goes waste. The solution to this was brought in by 21 years old, Princeton undergrad Eden Full who invented the SunSaluter.

This device rotates solar panels toward the sun throughout the day that too without a motor. It works on a water clock-esque design. By merely using this device in connection with solar panels the energy output increased by 40%. Now that truly is innovation at its best in the simple design of this science project.