A study closely examined the differences in voltage caused by the concentrations of ions, types of ions, and pH of the fluid plants transport, tying the voltage changes to the plant's circadian rhythm that causes adjustments day and night. According to the authors, this consistent, cyclic voltage creation could be harnessed as an energy source.
"This streaming potential, essentially a consequence of the natural energy gathered in the plant, offers a renewable energy source that is continuous and can be sustainable over long periods," author Suman Chakraborty said."The question we wanted to answer was how much potential it can produce, and how is electric potential influenced by the plant's biological clock?"
"Our eureka moment was when our first experiments showed it is possible to produce electricity in a cyclic rhythm and the precise linkage between this and the plant's inherent daily rhythm," Chakraborty said."We could exactly pinpoint how this is related to water transpiration and the ions the plant carries via the ascent of sap."
"We not only rediscovered the plant's electrical rhythm, articulating it in terms of voltages and currents, but we also provided insight into potentially tapping electrical power output from plants in a sustainable manner with no environmental impact and no disruption to the ecosystem," Chakraborty said.