UK-based “Bactery” has developed a six-inch device that’s designed to be buried in a farm field where it produces enough electricity to power remote IoT devices. It sounds a little crazy at first, but proof-of-concept field trials show that these “soil batteries” – or “bacteries” – really do work!
Bactery cofounder Jakub Dziegielowski explains that there is a whole circular economy in soil where nutrients are constantly replenished by plants, which secrete organic substances, or by fertilizers. Also present in soil are a specific microorganism known as “electrigens,” which have the unique ability to generate electrons during the consumption of organic compounds.
The Bactery device is designed to capture those free electrons, force them to travel through an external circuit, and thereby produce electricity. This so-called “electrochemical” environment recharges the Bactery device, providing a reliable means of powering electronics in areas where electricity may not be available or is difficult to access.
The six-by-six-inch device is extremely simple. All the farmer has to do is dig a hole and bury it in the ground. After a few days, a biofilm will form inside the device and energy generation will begin. Bactery says the device has a usable lifespan of around 30 years, with minimal intervention.
The team proved the concept in 2019, by building a soil-powered water disinfection system for decentralized communities. The prototype was tested in Icapuí, a fishing village in a remote semi-arid part of North-East Brazil, where the main source of drinking water is rainwater and access to a reliable power network is scarce.
The company’s Gen-1 device can produce 50-100 mWh per day. Dzieglielowski notes that this is “more than enough to power devices such as soil moisture sensors, weather stations, and even small irrigation valves.” In the lab, Bactery has been able to boost that power output by as much as six times, and they continue to pursue a more powerful solution.
For now, the Gen-1 device is ideal for low-power applications in sensing and IoT. The company has already deployed 50 units across farms in the UK, and pilots are planned in the US, as well as Brazil, Australia, and the UAE.
Bactery, which was spun-out of the University of Bath, is now planning a commercial launch of its Gen-1 device next year. The company says partnerships with agtech firms, energy providers and government bodies are in the works. If things move forward as hoped, Dziegielowski says agriculture will be just the beginning. He envisions the Earth’s soil being able to power the whole world’s remote devices, “drawing power directly from the ground beneath them.” Learn more about Bactery HERE. (Sources: AgTechNavigator, Global Venturing, Bath University)
