http://www.masshightech.com/displayarticledetail.asp?art_id=70730&cat_id=165

A man figures out how to get 1 volt from a tree, with a nail. Hook up a few trees in series and save big on batteries! Just make sure you come to the shoot early and bring plenty of long cables.

Well this is nothing new. This is how a battery works. Every stick two different metals into a something that is salty or acidic? You get about a volt. The types of metals make a difference in the amount of power. The metals also will corrode away in the process. The tree would probably heal around the electrode. So you could wire up a forest, but there would be maintaince.

I really don't think it should be possible to patent this.

I bet in the process of figuring out how to "filter and stabilize the electricity" he'll probably reinvent the capacitor.


You can also get power from a spike driven into the ground and one high in the air, watch out for lightning though.

-Adam "wants a nuclear reactor in-my-backyard" Keen