Generating Power From Water

Scientists at the University of Alberta in Canada are creating a stir with their discovery of a clean and simple way to generate electricity by forcing water through narrow glass tubes, a finding being touted as the first completely new way to generate electricity in more than 160 years. According to research published today in the latest issue of the "Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering," the process works by harnessing the natural energy created when a flowing liquid meets a solid surface. The work is in its early stages, say researchers Larry Kostiuk and Daniel Kwok, but by the end of the decade the process could be used to make "water batteries" to power mobile phones and other small electronic devices without using toxic materials or creating pollution. Eventually the system might be used for full-scale generation of clean power." [ Summary by Grist Magazine - http://www.gristmagazine.com/ ]