Clean and Green — Dutch Company Powers Gadgets and Street Lights with Living Plants [1]

By Carolanne Wright [2]
Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

Could living plants be the future of electricity [3]? If the folks at Plant-e have anything to say about it, the answer is a resounding YES. To prove their point, a project dubbed “Starry Sky” illuminated 300 LED lights in Hembrug, Netherlands — exclusively powered by living plants. Similar to another project about an hour’s drive away, both installations are the first two public applications of the budding technology.

But plant-powered lighting isn’t the only area the company has explored, Wi-Fi hotspots, mobile chargers and rooftop electricity modules are also available. And large-scale tubular systems for commercial use are in the works.

The Ultimate Green Energy

While the idea of photosynthesis to generate energy [4] isn’t necessarily new — remember engineering clocks made from potatoes in middle school? — Plant-e’s technology is the first to harness power from plants without harming them. Marjolein Helder, Plant-e’s cofounder and CEO, believes the advancements achieved by their company are nothing short of revolutionary.