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Beak power: how a toy that stumped Einstein is inspiring Chinese scientists to search for cleaner energy

  • Simple physics behind vintage ‘drinking bird’ leads to ‘substantial renewable energy opportunity’, researchers say
  • Evaporation-driven heat engine could someday power electric gadgets

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The classic scientific toy with a top hat that continuously dips into a glass of water using simple thermodynamics is leading researchers towards a new source of renewable energy. Photo: Shutterstock Images

A team of scientists from Hong Kong and mainland China have created a device that could pave the way to a new source of clean energy – an engine that can power small electronics through the process of water evaporation.

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The device can run on 100ml (3.4 ounces) of water as fuel for 50 hours and produce an energy output of up to 100 volts, significantly more than previous studies that had tried to harvest evaporation energy.

“Water evaporation captures half of Earth’s surface solar energy, presenting a substantial renewable energy opportunity,” the team wrote in an article published on Thursday in the peer-reviewed journal Device.

“Using the prototype [of the generator], we power small electronics such as 20 liquid crystal displays (LCDs), temperature sensors and calculators in ambient conditions using water as fuel,” the article said.

Scientists in Hong Kong and mainland China have created an engine that can power small electronics from water evaporation, paving the way for a new clean energy source. Photo: Wu Zheng Qin
Scientists in Hong Kong and mainland China have created an engine that can power small electronics from water evaporation, paving the way for a new clean energy source. Photo: Wu Zheng Qin

The researchers are from South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, and Hong Kong Polytechnic University and City University of Hong Kong.

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