story by tatum hoffman, vanessa giraldo-castaño, and ping yen (jeff) tsai

access to electricity is already unstable for much of the world and economic inequality has been rising exponentially. in addition to the human equity side of this issue, the foundation of our electrical supply is one of the driving forces of climate change and the sixth mass extinction.

whether it be knowledge about our nervous system or potato radios, most people are familiar with the presence of electricity in organisms. last year, our biodesign team at the university of richmond outlined a plan to explore this as a renewable energy source, centering the invasive species english ivy.

a foot long clipping of the vine from right behind the university’s library produced over 0.5 v. while small, this is a notable amount of electricity which can theoretically be scaled up with biomass, as well as stabilized with capacitors, and stored in batteries.

few of us in this day and age would do well without electronics for a month; imagine losing everything from your phone to washing machine to heating. yet all of us come from places affected by natural disasters, climate change, poverty, or other forms of instability.

a “grassroots” power source has the potential to alleviate the financial and physical burdens of the most vulnerable populations. this project is an interdisciplinary study of biology, electrical engineering, design thinking, and sustainability with the purpose of making electricity environmentally sustainable and socially conscious.