text: Various types of renewable energy such as solar and wind are often touted as being the solution to the world’s growing energy crisis. But one researcher has come up with a novel idea that could trump them all - a biological solar panel that works around the clock. By harnessing the electrons generated by plants such as moss, he said he can create useful energy that could be used at home or elsewhere. A University of Cambridge scientist has revealed his green source of energy. By using just moss he is able to generate enough power to run a clock (shown). He said panels of plant material could power appliances in our homes. And the technology could help farmers grow crops where electricity is scarce . Dr Paolo Bombelli will present his research as part of the Pint of Science festival, which is running from 18 to 20 May in 50 cities across nine countries. His idea is relatively simple - by wiring up plants to an electro-chemical system, he is able to harness the waste electrons and energy produced during the photosynthesis process. And the results are surprisingly efficient. He demonstrated how a smartphone-sized block of moss could be used to power a digital clock. The Pint of Science festival is taking place from Monday 18 to Wednesday 20 May 2015. It sees scientists of various disciplines give talks in pubs around the world, with topics ranging from the brain to space, that the public can attend for £3 - the ‘price of a pint’. Dr Paolo Bombelli, with his moss-powered clock, is one of the scientists taking part. This year more than 600 science evenings will take place in 50 cities across nine countries. Cities in the UK include Bristol, London, Manchester and Southampton. A full schedule can be found on their website. An A4-sized area of leaves - about 93 square inches (600 square centimetres) - could charge four AA batteries in one hour on a typical sunny day. Dr Bombelli said his inspiration came from the movie The Matrix. ‘In that movie, they try to generate electrical energy, power, from humans,’ he explained. ‘And although it was a bit crude, the concept is actually correct. ‘But there are perhaps less ethical issues if you take electrons from photosynthetic organisms than humans.’ The apparatus required is also relatively simple - cables, some water and a plant. At the moment, Dr Bombelli is trying to find a way to increase the ‘flux’ of electrons emitted by a plant, making more energy available. ‘If we can crack this, we can get a very large flux of electrons coming out, then we can build a biological solar panel,’ he told MailOnline. Dr Bombelli said his inspiration came from the 1999 movie The Matrix. ‘In that movie, they try to generate electrical energy, power, from humans,’ he explained, shown in this image from the movie. 'But there are perhaps less ethical issues if you take electrons from photosynthetic organisms than humans' An A4-sized area of leaves - about (93 square inches (600 square centimetres) - could charge four AA batteries in one hour on a typical sunny day. The ultimate goal is to develop panels that generate five watts per square metre (11 square ft). By comparison, a solar panel generates 150 to 200 watts per square metre . Dr Paolo Bombelli  presented his research at a preview  of the Pint of Science festival (left). He is adamant that regular moss (stock image right) could provide an additional source of renewable energy to complement others that are available . For example, he said people could have one of these panels on the roof of their house to power certain appliances in their home. The goal is to generate up to five watts per square metre (11 square feet). By comparison, a solar panel generates 150 to 200 watts per square metre. The uses are not just in the home, though. Dr Bombelli said in regions where people don’t have access to energy, biological solar panels could be useful for tasks such as growing crops. People could be shown how to build the simple systems and, unlike solar panels which require technical expertise to fix, the biological solar panels can be fixed easily. ‘To assemble one is not too difficult,’ he explained. And to demonstrate just how useful the technology can be, Dr Bombelli is gearing up to deploy a plant-powered system in London Zoo. A trap camera powered by moss will be installed in the next four to eight weeks, and ultimately the same camera could be used to capture images of animals in the wild. Rice farming is one area Dr Bombelli sees his technology being useful. It could help power technology in areas where electricity is scarce, possibly increasing yields. Shown is a stock image of rice paddy fields in India, one region Dr Bombelli said his technology could be useful . He noted that there are limitations: the technology is not very mobile, and its power output is low compared to other renewable energies. Nonetheless he thinks it could be part of a ‘portfolio of renewable technology’ to generate electricity. ‘We don’t really think the world is going to be powered by this technology, but it could play a role,’ he said.
target: University of Cambridge scientist has revealed his green source of energy .
  By using just moss he is able to generate enough power to run a clock .
  He said panels of plant material could power appliances in our homes .
  And the tech could help farmers grow crops where electricity is scarce .