CASE STUDY AIR-GEN TECHNOLOGY The discovery of air-gen technology In 2020, during a series of experiments on protein nanowires filaments which are able to conduct electricity and which are produced by a bacterium called Geobacter a group of researchers from the University of Massachussetts Amherst discovered that clean energy could be produced from the humidity naturally present in the air by the so-called air-gen effect. How the technology works The air-gen technology employs a very thin film of protein nanowires. The lowest part of the film lies on an electrode, while in the upper part there is a small electrode, which covers only a small part of the film. The film absorbs humidity naturally present in the air. Water molecules floating all around in the air have a very short mean free path (i.e. average distance travelled by a moving particle, such as an atom, a molecule, or a photon, before colliding with other particles of the same substance). As humid air passes through air-gen film s minuscule holes, this creates a difference in charge between the two electrodes, in other words, electricity. This way, the material behaves like a battery, generating and storing energy; as humidity is always present in the air, electricity can be generated regardless of weather conditions or the time of day. to blend: mescolarsi to collide: collidere 22 mean free path: percorso libero medio Match the beginnings and endings. 1. Air-gen technology a. is electricity. 2. Geobacters b. electricity can be generated independently from the weather. 3. The difference in charge between the two layers of the material 80 The future of air-gen technology The air-gen effect is the same effect that creates lightning in clouds during a storm; for this reason, researchers believe that this technology, if employed on a larger scale, could be able to generate an amount of energy suitable to meet the demand of energy for everyday use. In theory, thousands of air-gen layers can be put one on top of another, increasing the amount of power produced by the device which, according to the researchers, could produce kilowatts of power for general usage. The research team also believes that their air-gen devices could one day be far more efficient than other renewable sources of energy such as solar and wind power, which have the big drawback of being totally dependent on climate and weather conditions. In addition, the material can be engineered into a variety of forms to blend into the environment, which is generally impossible with facilities as visually noticeable as a solar farm or wind turbines. c. behaves like a battery. 4. The air-gen technology material d. exploits the natural humidity of air to produce electricity. 5. With air-gen technology, e. could be more efficient than other renewable sources. 6. The air-gen effect f. are responsible for the production of protein nanowires. 7. One day, air-gen devices g. will be able to blend into the environment. 8. Air-gen material h. is the same as the one that creates lightning in clouds. ELECTRICITY