Clean energy of the future, in part, may come from microbes living around the roots of living plants. Photosynthesizing plants release energy-rich organic compounds into the soil to feed microorganisms around their roots. As microbes break down these organic compounds, electrons are released and harvestable via electrodes placed in the soil environment. The company developing the technology, Plant-e, was born out of Wageningen University in the Netherlands. They have demonstrated the lighting of LED street lamps in two locations and are powering the Plant-e plant’s headquarters with plants.
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