[Phone Photography - Photo Taken by Me]
Plantain, one of the popular source of food eaten and appreciated all over the world. Packed with so much nutrients, plantains are definitely beneficial to humanity. While plantains is a great source of food and offers a lot of health benefits, the plantain tree is also one not to overlook as it offers a lot of benefits as well. Based on my research and study, I found out that the plantain tree can be a great source of energy. We all know that there are places where electricity is a major problem most especially in underdeveloped nations and in some developing nations as well.
These nations with poor power supply or electricity supply make use of candle lights as a source of light. However, what about electricity to power appliances? – you can see that it now becomes a problem because in the world we live right now, technology is advancing at a very fast pace and the need for electricity keeps growing and growing. How are you going to keep up with what is happening around the world if you don’t have electricity to power your televisions? – The importance of electricity can go on and on without stopping anytime soon. You can argue that one can purchase generator sets to generate electricity, but the cost of maintaining and using petroleum on a regular basis in these generator sets is really high and problematic for people a lot of people living in these underdeveloped and developing nations. You can also make a claim for the use of solar energy and solar powered devices and appliances… however, we all know the cons of solar panels and you need a whole system to store those solar energy and convert them to electrical current which as we all know is not cheap and can be above the reach of some of the people in these underdeveloped and developing countries, most especially in the rural areas.
[Phone Photography - Image Taken by Me]
The discovery - Plantain Tree as a Great Source of Energy?
So I was surfing the net and came across some findings that some scientists in Sri Lanka say they have found a way to bring simple electricity to rural people those parts of the world.
… a homegrown battery developed by K.D. Jayasurya, a physicist at Sri Lanka's Kelaniya University. Just a few blocks from Jayasurya's laboratory stands a small patch of trees. "These are the plantain trees," he says, and points to bunches of green, unripened fruit hanging down from the branches. Plantains are a popular food here in Sri Lanka, and most people grow the fruit in their own yards, especially in rural areas. These are also places with little or no access to electricity.
In my opinion, this is a great discovery and if it can become a full-fledged creation and proven to work effectively and efficiently, then I think it will be the way forward and a step in the right direction in ensuring that electricity is easily accessible. Plantain has always been known to contain a lot of health and medicinal benefits, so if the trees can be a good and efficient source of energy then the value of plantain trees goes up even higher. Imagine using plantain trees to make batteries? – wouldn’t that be great… I guess so, it will be amazing. Yes, it will come with its own cons, but it will surely offer a lot of benefits as far as energy source is concerned.