The future of clean electricity: Air-gen technology opens new horizons for renewable energy

Weather of Arabia - A new innovative achievement recorded by researchers in the field of electricity production and renewable and sustainable energy, as the team was able to generate semi-static electricity using a material that can only benefit from the surrounding air. This new achievement is considered a cornerstone of a new idea for generating renewable energy. With that in mind, the researchers say they can use almost any surface and turn it into an electricity generator by simulating the properties of clouds and thunderstorms with that surface.

The future of clean electricity: Air-gen technology opens new horizons for renewable energy

And in the details; Engineers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst came up with the idea of a new model of electricity generation that relies exclusively on the air around it, and called it "Air-gen". The idea of this generator depends on the presence of very small holes, about 100 nanometers in size, which is a thousand times smaller than the width of a human hair. These holes are based on the concept of a "mean free path", which refers to the distance a molecule travels before it stops as a result of colliding with another molecule in the same material.

As everyone knows, air contains water molecules, and their average free path measures about 100 nanometers. When moist air flows through the tiny holes in the Air-gen generator, direct contact is made between the water molecules and the upper and lower parts of the nanostructures in the generator. This convergence leads to a disturbance in the balance of electrical charges, or simply leads to the generation of electricity.

There is an analogy in physics between the process of generating electricity in this new model and the process of discharging electrical charges in lightning. Although the research team at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has come up with the idea of a product that can generate and simulate a small fraction of a lightning bolt of about 300 million volts, there is promise to achieve sustainable energy of several hundred millivolts for everyday use.

This is most clearly seen when we assume that air moisture is diffused in three-dimensional space. Theoretically, thousands of layers of Air-gen devices can be stacked on top of each other, and as a result, the device's working range will be expanded without affecting its basic working mechanism. According to the researchers, just one Air-gen device can provide several kilowatts of electricity suitable for public use.

The research team is betting on the efficiency of the Air-gen as a device for generating sustainable electricity, compared to other renewable energy generation devices that use the wind or the sun. In addition, Air-gen has the ability to re-engineer its materials to be more environmentally friendly. Compared to notable things like solar panels or wind generators, the hardware used in the Air-gen system can achieve a better balance between performance and aesthetics.

Concluding the study, lead author of the paper, Jin Yao, who is also an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, says, "We are now able to envision a future full of clean electricity...and the Air-gen effect makes this global future very real."

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