Harvest Fare (article)
by Fran Molloy
from Fast Thinking, November 16 2009
Fran Molloy looks at the little picture on energy - harvesting micro amounts - that could change the world:
"Since humans recognised that wind and water and the sun were generating energy, we have been trying to harvest it, through such things as windmills and waterwheels - but these were never sufficient to satisfy the needs of a greedy, growing, industrial world. But the information revolution has introduced miniaturisation, and from solar-powered calculators to motion-powered wristwatches, we have been capturing tiny amounts of energy for our gadgets for decades. Now, it seems that our scavenging ways may allow us to squeeze every last drop of the highend energy we produce by powering sensor networks to control its use."