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Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Electric power from potatoes

Monday, February 28, 2011

Slices of freshly cooked potatoes can provide electricity for remote, off-grid communities, says a research team at the University of Jerusalem. A slice of potato can generate light for 20 hours, and several slices could power simple medical equipment, or even a low-powered computer.

The work was described last year in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy and hinges on a recent discovery that electricity flows from membranes disrupted by boiling. Potato batteries are estimated to generate electricity at a cost of about US$9 per kilowatt hour, about the same cost as AA alkaline batteries. D cells generate electricity for about $50/kWh.

Expect to see another debate about "food or energy" to develop. The "antis" argue that these "food batteries" would be grown and used in areas of Africa where food may already be in short supply. Proponents, on the other hand, say many potatoes can't be moved to city markets in time to prevent them from rotting. BF
 

Current Issue

March 2026

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Wilson Farms Sponsors Ontario Four 2026

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Wilson Farms Grain has been announced as the Supreme Champion Sponsor of the Ontario Four Horse Hitch Series for the 2026 season. This partnership connects one of Eastern Ontario’s leading grainlogisticsenterprises with one of the province’s most respected draft horse competitions. Known... Read this article online

Hog Markets Strengthen Heading Into Late February

Monday, February 23, 2026

As hog producers head into the final stretch of February, North American markets showed modest but broad-based strength according to the latest OMAFA report for the week ending February 20, 2026. The data highlights firmer hog prices, stronger futures, and mixed feed costs, offering... Read this article online

Looking for a heritage machine

Friday, February 20, 2026

A Brantford, Ontario area heritage organization—the Canadian Industrial Heritage Centre (CIHC)—is putting out a call to the Canadian agricultural community in hopes of locating a rare piece of machinery that helped transform grain harvesting around the world. The CIHC is preparing... Read this article online

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