Both third-world countries and technically advanced nations can benefit from producing electricity through innovative, simple means. Electrical engineering students can create a mini-project to produce electricity via a small hydroelectric generator, about the size of a shoebox, running on water from gutter downspouts. When it rains, the flow of water spins a turbine, which in turn runs a generator. The electrical output charges a set of storage batteries, making electricity available at all times. In addition, you can demonstrate how to place a larger generating system inside a storm sewer to create electricity. One inventor, Todd L. Juneau, of Juneau Partners, applied for a patent on a system using the falling weight of a filled water tank to drive the generator, according to the patent documentation website, PatentDocs.
Thermocouples generate electricity in a simple fashion using no moving parts. In a thermocouple, pieces of two different metals are bonded tightly together; the junction between them produces electricity according to a principle called the Seebeck effect. For a mini-project, you can make one from lengths of copper and iron wire wound together on a common, nonconducting dowel or spool. Once heated, the resulting thermocouple produces measurable amounts of electricity. The student can experiment with a variety of heat sources, such as small hand-warming pouches available at sporting goods stores, candle flames or hot sunlight focused by a lens. You can record different voltage outputs at various levels of heat. You’ll need a thermometer capable of measuring at least a few hundred degrees Celsius and a multimeter to measure voltage and current. You can explore the Seebeck effect using different metals for the thermocouple, for example, wires made of zinc and iron or copper and silver. According to the California Institute of Technology, the thermocouples on the Voyager I and II spacecraft were still in operation 25 years after their launch. The thermocouples converted heat from radioactive plutonium to make electricity.
When electricity flows through a wire, the wire produces a magnetic field. Also, when a wire passes through a magnetic field, the field induces an electric current in the wire. Transformers exploit these principles by placing two wire coils next to each other; a “primary” coil generating a magnetic field and a “secondary” coil producing electricity from the magnetism. The electrical engineering student can purchase common off-the-shelf transformers and create a project to investigate them in depth. For example, the student can feed different voltages to the primary coil and take voltage measurements at the secondary. Experiment with different designs of transformers and report on the differences. In the engineering class called "Fundamentals of Power Engineering," at Lamar University, students investigate transformers extensively.
You can make a battery from saltwater, aluminum and activated charcoal, creating a cheap, reliable method of making electricity. Students can develop a saltwater battery of their own design and seek to obtain as much voltage as possible from the device. Use your multimeter to measure the battery’s voltage and current output. Experiment with different materials and configurations, and report on your findings accordingly.