Scientists made headway after producing energy from plants

HAIFA: A group of scientists has produced hydrogen from plants in a development that could eventually lead to using vegetation to produce electricity.

The Israeli scientists made a discovery by using microscopic algae, and an aquatic plant at a Tel Aviv University laboratory.

“To link a device to electricity, you just have to connect to a powerpoint. In the case of a plant, we didn’t know where to connect,” said Iftach Yacoby, head of the university’s renewable energy laboratory.

“From the moment we found how to use plants to produce a source of energy, the options were open,” said Yacoby.

The nascent research shows that plants have the potential to produce electricity, he said, while cautioning it will take up to 20 years for the world to benefit from the findings.

“There are lots of things that we can consider doing thanks to the results of our research. The future will tell us what will come of it,” he said.