A Groundbreaking Technology that can generate electricity from raindrops, was invented by scientists in Singapore adding a new way for renewable energy capacity. This invention is a gigantic success amid the growing search for renewable energy power.
The experimental showcasing of this technology unveiled powering of 12 LED lights for 12 seconds. The power generation involves a complex process by using a compact set up consisted of slim vertical tube and precisely timed droplets.
Plug flow, a center part of the technology, is a fluid dynamic phenomenon that helps move all particles uniformly in speed and direction. This flow behavior plays a critical role in radically enhancing the amount of electricity generated by falling water.
Dr. Siowling Soh, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore and lead author of the study, explained that when two materials come into contact, their surface charges shift slightly—similar to the static electricity generated when rubbing a balloon against the skin. He noted that in their system, rain-sized water droplets falling through a vertical tube generate a substantial amount of electricity by forming a plug flow pattern. This specific flow behavior, he said, enables the effective capture of rain energy and its conversion into clean, renewable electricity.
Though traditional hydroelectric systems that depends on large bodies of water to drive turbines, this method harnesses the motion of individual rain-sized droplets. As each droplet enters the top of a vertically mounted tube, it forms a short segment of water—or “slug”—separated by pockets of air. This segmented arrangement enhances the separation of electrical charges as the slugs travel down the tube’s conductive inner surface.
Generated Electricity by this process is collected via wires at both ends of the tube and the water is met in a container below. Remarkably, the system was able to transform over 10% of the falling water’s potential energy into usable electricity—making it 10,000 times more efficient than conventional setups using a continuous water stream.
Although the laboratory tests used droplets slower than natural rain, the researchers believe that real rainfall, with higher velocity, would further improve the system’s efficiency. They also found that using multiple tubes simultaneously increased output dramatically. In their most successful demonstration, four tubes working together powered 12 LED lights for 20 seconds.
This innovative approach could enable new forms of renewable energy harvesting, especially in urban environments and regions without access to rivers or large water reservoirs.
