Guest Thinkers — April 23, 2011

Soil Lamp: Grow Your Own Light

How about a lamp that provides you with free and environmentally friendly energy.. forever! All you have to do is water it. Literally.

Soil Lamp is an invention of the Dutch designer Marieke Staps and it consists of an LED bulb planted in.. mud. The mud is enclosed in cells which contain zinc and copper that conduct electricity generated by the metabolism of biological life.

According to the designer this technique offers a wealth of possibilities, because the more cells there are, the more electricity they generate. The only thing that the lamp needs is some watering every now and then.

In addition to the lamp you can also get a soil powered clock as well. The disclaimer on the site says that it’s sold without the plants, so apparently all you have to do is bury the ends of the two tiny wires in the nearest pots. This is beyond cool! Why can’t I power my laptop like that?

photo by B Tal

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