Can Tree Movement Generate Electricity?

Today green energy is thought of as solar panels and wind turbines, or perhaps even nuclear depending on who you speak to. While each has its place, such technologies require a rather massive amount of resources to build at scale, and replace otherwise pleasant and oxygen-producing plant life, e.g. trees. What if instead of replacing nature with energy-producing devices, we instead augmented trees to turn them into energy generators themselves via the way branches naturally sway in the wind?

It’s a fascinating idea that Concept Crafted Creations (CCC) explores in the video below, using a 3D-printed linear generator to produce electricity. The cylindrical outer section of the generator is formed via a series of coils, electrically connected in… series, while the corresponding neodymium magnets are situated on a movable shaft inside. As this magnetic shaft travels up and down, it induces alternating current in the coils, creating enough power to light up an LED strip during testing.

To induce motion, the generator assembly is strapped to a tree trunk. Two ends of a cord are fastened to a branch and wound around a pulley on the generator. As the pulley moves, it induces linear motion via a gear and cam system, causing the shaft to oscillate up and down, and, in theory, generate energy. The device is a proof of concept, and, unfortunately, no actual numbers for how much power is generated by the tree are given.

CCC invites people to leave comments on how it can be improved, and we will hopefully see a second version in the near future. One might argue that any such installation would need specialized maintenance and upkeep to keep it working properly as the tree grows, but how cool would it be to put “electro-arborist” on your business card?