Smart water meter generates its own power

Researchers at the University of Waikato in New Zealand are creating a smart water meter. But that's not news. This water meter will be completely powered by the water that runs through it without any moving parts.

Using a streaming potential cell, water is forced through a glass micro-channel that has a charge bound to its surface. As water travels through the channel, ions of an opposite polarity cling to the charged surface. When pressure pushes these ions through the channel a useful amount of electricity builds up. And water consumption information can be reported wirelessly.

"I'm investigating whether it will be possible to use these means of generating electricity to run a smart water meter," said Mark Jones, one of the researchers.

"If we can harvest energy from the water we're metering then we remove the need for batteries, which is what current smart water meters need. Not only will this prevent thousands of batteries ending up in landfills each year but also save having to replace them, a much greener alternative," he added.

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