SOLANUM TUBEROSUM (POTATO)

AS AN ALTERNATIVE BATTERY

S.Y:2019-2020

By: Grade 8-Euclid

Members:
Ronan dela Cruz
Shildez Tabbu
Elijah Obcena
Colene de Veyra
Dayne Corpuz
Angelino Borja
Gilliane Lacambra
Carlos Ibay
Ellehcim Gumpad
Mitzy Santos
Nicole Matammu
Angela Perez
Abstract:

Acknowledgement:

Dedication:
Table of Contents:
Chapter I:

A. Introduction
Electricity is one of man’s greatest inventions. Without it, the achievements men
have attained by using it would not be possible. It has helped shape our lifestyle to become
easier and more comfortable.

However, one of the pressing issues faced today by some nations especially our
country is the shortage of power supply. In the Philippines, one would have to get used to
brownouts, or the drop in voltage in an electrical power supply system. Whether or not it
is intentional, these outages have wide-ranging effects on the economy: households would
experience no electricity for a few minutes or even for hours, causing great inconvenience;
businesses would incur higher costs by way of lost revenue and reduced productivity; and
investors would be hesitant to do business, leading to reduced investments. Because of this,
our group wanted to research for alternative materials that can be used as a source of
electricity.

Solanum Tuberosum or Potato is a member of the nightshade family (Solanaceae)

which also includes tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), aubergine or eggplant (S.
melongena), chilli pepper (Capsicum annuum) and petunias (Petunia species). It is of
ancient origin. It has originated and was first domesticated in South America, even before
the appearance of maize. It was initially introduced to Spain and the UK, and gradually to
parts of Asia and North America. It has spread around the world over the past 400 years,
and gained recognition as an inexpensive and nutritive food in the eighteenth century. It is
now among the 10 major food crops of the world and grown in over 140 countries. It is a
great source of Vitamin B6, Vitamin C and Potassium. It also has phosphoric acid which
can act as an electrolyte to let electricity pass through.

In most commercial batteries, electricity is generated by a chemical reaction

between two electrodes (copper and zinc) and an electrolyte (sulfuric acid). The liquid
in a potato can act as the electrolyte and generate electricity between two electrodes.

With this in mind, the researchers would like to further test the power of the
potato as a source of electricity by turning it into a natural alternative battery. The
success of this SIP may address the current problem regarding the insufficient power
supply our country is facing.
B. Statement of the Problem
This study aims to test whether the potato can be used as an alternative power
source, an alternative battery to be exact. Basically, it aims to answer the following
questions:

1. Is there a difference between a regular dry cell and a potato battery?

2. Is a potato battery an effective source of energy?
3. How long can a potato battery last?
C. Hypothesis
There is no significant difference between a normal dry cell and an alternative battery.

D. Significance of the Study

The study aims to further research on the use of vegetables like potatoes as an energy
source to gain the following benefits it may bring once it is proven:

1. Schoolmates
-Other people, such as our schoolmates can use this as a source of renewable energy,
though on a small scale.

2. Teachers
-The teachers at the school could use the energy to power certain devices.

3. School
-The school could generate enough electricity for light using leftover vegetables.

4. Community
-The community could use leftover vegetables to use as a small scale power source.

5. Future Researchers
-Future researchers can expand on the topic and somehow get a method wherein they
can gain even more energy from research, then vegetables not being consumed can be
used as a conventional energy source, possibly as good as using non-renewable
resources.
E. Scope and Limitations:
Scope:

Limitations:
Chapter II:

Review of Related Literature:

IN THE PHILIPPINES, one would have to get used to brownouts, or the drop in
voltage in an electrical power supply system. Whether or not it is intentional, these outages have
wide-ranging effects on the economy: households would experience no electricity for a few
minutes or even for hours, causing great inconvenience; businesses would incur higher costs by
way of lost revenue and reduced productivity; and investors would be hesitant to do business,
leading to reduced investments.

The Luzon grid has had episodes of “yellow” alerts since March due to high electricity demand
outstripping supply as well as unscheduled outages of power plants. The first yellow alert, which
occurred on March 5, saw peak demand for the day reaching 9,491 megawatts (MW) against the
grid’s available capacity of 10,115 MW with an operating margin at just 624 MW — falling short
of the required contingency reserve of 647 MW.

Thinning reserves reached a low when the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP)
declared on April 10 its first “red” alert notice as power demand in Luzon outstripped reserves
following unscheduled outages.

NGCP, which is the private firm that operates, maintains, and develops the country’s transmission
network, issues these alerts whenever energy reserves are inadequate. The grid operator has several
levels of reserve energy that it uses to stabilize the fluctuating power demanded from the electricity
grid.

One, there is a “regulating” reserve, which is the standard operating requirement to maintain a
balance between available capacity and system demand. This is ideally equivalent to around four
percent of peak demand.
On top of the regulating reserve, the NGCP maintains a “contingency” reserve that it allocates to
immediately cover the loss in supply when the largest power generating unit online — usually at
around 600 MW — fails to deliver.

Lastly, the operator also maintains a “dispatchable” reserve that is readily available to replenish
lost contingency reserve.

A yellow alert notice is issued when the dispatchable reserve is fully spent and the system is
already tapping into its contingency reserve. A red alert notice means both dispatchable and
contingency reserves are gone.

Based on NGCP notices, there were seven yellow alerts and seven red alerts in April alone. In
May, there were 13 yellow alerts and two red alerts.

This number far outstripped the number of yellow alerts in the previous years, according to
consumer advocacy group CitizenWatch Philippines’ “PowerPlant Watch.”

“Comparing this to previous years, we had only seven instances of yellow alerts in 2018 and only
three during the same period in 2017,” wrote Hannah Viola, convenor of CitizenWatch and energy
fellow at Stratbase ADR Institute, in her column in BusinessWorld titled “A Call for Energy
Transparency” published on April 9.

Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr., columnist for BusinessWorld, economist, and president of Minimal
Government Thinkers (MGT), noted in an e-mail interview the Philippines’ power capacity as
being “far out from many neighbors in East Asia.”

Citing data from the Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook, Mr. Oplas said the
Philippines, which has a population of at least 100 million, has a lower power capacity per person
compared to neighboring countries such as those of Vietnam, Malaysia, and Laos at 2.1 times, 4.9
times, and 4.9 times, respectively.
LACK OF POWER PLANTS, DE-RATINGS

Industry players and analysts said this scenario could have been avoided had there been more
power plants available to compensate for those undergoing unscheduled shutdowns or
maintenance.

Data from the Department of Energy (DoE) showed there are 126 power plants in Luzon grid alone
as of end-2018 with installed and dependable capacities of 16,133.06 MW and 14,641.76 MW,
respectively.

However, results of a study from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) released in May
showed that up to 72% of these power plants are at least 16 years or older, which may have
contributed to the grid’s power deficiency this year.

“Older plants require more frequent maintenance and repairs and may be more prone to
unscheduled outages,” Lawrence S. Fernandez, Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) vice-president and
head of Utility Economics, said in an e-mail interview.

DoE Undersecretary Felix William B. Fuentebella said in a separate e-mail interview that the
occurrence of unplanned and forced outages were considered in the DoE’s assessment of the 2019
summer supply and demand outlook as well as the potential impact of El Niño.

“However, the simultaneous breakdowns were not expected in spite of the preparation and
availability of the interruptible load program during the red alert statuses, which resulted in manual
load drops,” Mr. Fuentebella said, adding that the delays in the entry of committed power plants
“contributed to the limited capacities” in the Luzon grid.

Meralco’s Mr. Fernandez said they have noticed the demand for power has been growing faster in
the rest of Luzon compared to the Meralco service area.
“However, it was really the unplanned and forced power plant outages and the delayed entry of
new generation capacity that caused the alerts this year,” he said. “This thinning power supply,
paired with rising power demand, combine to create a less than ideal power situation.”

“I think the unforeseen factor there was the ‘old plants’ factor; just many of them went on
unscheduled shutdowns,” MGT’s Mr. Oplas said.

A closer look at available data showed plants currently online include those built way back in the
1940s and 1950s — plants whose efficiency has eroded through the years.

Two of these plants are located in Luzon — the Caliraya dam-type hydroelectric power plant
(HEPP) and the Botocon run-of-river type HEPP, both located in Lumban, Laguna. These plants
were commissioned in the early to mid-1940s.

Adding to the forced and unforced outages, the lack of supply is also attributed to plant de-ratings,
which happens when a power plant is operating at less than its maximum capability in order to
prolong its life.

“The current situation of our power plants and the continuously rising demand suggest that it would
be beneficial to our grid if new capacities are built so more supply and reserves are available,” said
Meralco’s Mr. Fernandez.

For MGT’s Mr. Oplas, the lack of new peaking power plants being built is also a concern. These
are power plants that are generally run when there is high demand or only during peak times.

The economist explained there is little to no incentive in putting up these peaking plants as they
can only sell through the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM), which has installed price
caps to protect consumers from excessive price spikes.

“There should be incentives for developers of peaking plants that may be idle for nine to ten
months per year, then running only for a few hours per day on hot months… Even if they charge
high, say five to ten times the average WESM clearing price on certain hours, it’s still cheaper
compared to having massive blackouts, or the poor buying candles (and have more fires) or the
middle class and rich buying more generator sets (and have more air, noise pollution),” he said.

“When demand is high during hot months, baseload and mid-merit plants cannot deliver extra,”
he explained.

Joe R. Zaldarriaga, Meralco assistant vice-president and public information office head, said the
government and power plant operators should look into the causes behind these power plant
outages and address them accordingly.

“It would be best to explore ways of better operating, maintaining and sustaining the various power
plants and keep them running efficiently. The government should also continue identifying
projects of national significance, like large power plants and transmission facilities, and help fast-
track their construction and operations,” he said in an e-mail.

DELAY IN POWER SUPPLY DEALS

According to DoE’s Mr. Fuentebella, common hurdles faced by proponents in pursuing new power
projects include “licensing/permitting challenges” as well as access to financial packages.

For his part, MGT’s Mr. Oplas noted the “thick, wide bureaucracies” in the local and national
levels when applying for a power plant project.

“[T]he whole thing would require 359 government signatures, involving 74 agencies and bureaus,
covering 43 different licenses and contracts,” Mr. Oplas explained, citing a September 2018
PowerPoint presentation of Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, who chaired the Senate’s energy
committee in the 17th Congress.

Meralco’s Mr. Zaldarriaga said for power projects, long-term planning is crucial as the
construction of a power plant, which includes the permitting process takes more than five years to
achieve.
Business groups have been calling for the construction of power plants to ensure ample long-term
supply of electricity. However, hampering efforts is the delay in the approval of power supply
agreements (PSA), which is a bilateral agreement between a generation company and a distribution
utility for the purchase and supply of power.

A PSA is typically a critical milestone for power projects as these are signed before construction
of a power plant starts to reassure banks that the plant will have ready buyers for its output.

The Supreme Court (SC) ruled last month that all PSAs submitted by distribution utilities to the
ERC on or after June 30, 2015, must undergo what is called a competitive selection process (CSP).

CSP requires contracts between power generation companies and distribution utilities to be
subjected to price challengers, a process that is aimed at lowering electricity cost.

The decision affected seven PSA applications that were filed by Meralco that covered 3,551 MW.
The contracts were signed on April 29, 2016, a day before the April 30, 2016 extended deadline
set by the ERC.

The ERC promulgated CSP in November 2015 but had to restate its effectivity date to April 30,
2016 through a resolution issued in March 2016. It said the move was prompted by letter-inquiries
from distribution utilities and generation companies assailing the legal implication of the CSP to
existing power supply deals.

Meralco’s PSAs are with two subsidiaries of its unit Meralco Powergen Corp., which is
constructing power plants under subsidiaries Atimonan One Energy, Inc., San Buenaventura Ltd.
Co., and Redondo Peninsula Energy, Inc.

The Atimonan project, whose PSA was filed in 2016, consists of two ultra supercritical coal-fired
power plants with a capacity of 600 MW each. It was originally expected to be completed by 2021,
but has since faced several regulatory issues. The company now looks to complete the project by
the fourth quarter of 2025.
Meralco also has a PSA with St. Raphael Power Generation Corp., its joint venture with Consunji-
led Semirara Mining and Power Corp. Meralco is also seeking approval for PSAs with Central
Luzon Premiere Power Corp., Mariveles Power Generation Corp., Panay Energy Development
Corp., and Global Luzon Energy Development Corp.

The high court ruling is viewed as a mixed bag, according to the sources interviewed
by BusinessWorld.

DoE’s Mr. Fuentebella said the ruling is a welcome development in the power industry.

“While ensuring transparency, competitiveness, and reasonableness of the power supply cost, it
will provide an opportunity to enhance the power supply agreements between the generation
companies and distribution utilities that will eventually redound to the benefits of the electricity
consuming public,” Mr. Fuentebella said.

For MGT’s Mr. Oplas, it is more of a net negative as this will further delay the construction of
power plants.

“It is now 2019 and [the] SC wants to backtrack CSP ruling to PSAs made four years ago? ERC
and SC should focus on enforcing CSP only to new PSAs,” the economist said.

Nevertheless, Meralco has said that they will respect the SC’s decision.

“Meralco respects, honors and abides by the SC ruling on [the CSP]. Moving forward, we will
conduct CSP to ensure availability of quality, stable and cost-competitive supply in the country,”
Mr. Zaldarriaga said.

“Meralco PowerGen, through its subsidiaries, will also work with all the concerned parties and
agencies to ensure that planned power plants progress and to have these up and running as soon as
possible,” he added.
So far, there are 19 private sector-initiated power plant projects in Luzon targeted to go online
between this year and 2023, data from the Energy department as of end-2018 showed. These
facilities are expected to have a combined committed capacity of 4,774.8 MW.

Meralco’s controlling stakeholder, Beacon Electric Asset Holdings, Inc., is partly owned by PLDT,
Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest
Holdings, Inc., has interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls.

Potato is a member of the nightshade family (Solanaceae), which also includes tomato
(Solanum lycopersicum), aubergine or eggplant (S. melongena), chilli pepper (Capsicum annuum)
and petunias (Petunia species).
Potatoes are native to South America; Spanish explorers brought them to Europe, where
they spread across the continent as a relatively inexpensive food. Potatoes are now the most
important non-grain crop and the fourth most important food overall in the world, with an annual
production of about 300 million tonnes (FAOSTAT 2011). Because potatoes are grown from
tropical to temperate regions, they are attacked by a number of different key pests which can be
divided into two groups: those causing direct damage to the plant or tuber (and therefore directly
affecting yield), and those transmitting plant pathogens (which may or may not reduce yield). The
former group contains insects like the Colorado potato beetle and potato tuber moths; the latter
group contains aphids, leafhoppers, and psyllids.
In most commercial batteries, electricity is generated by a chemical reaction between
two electrodes (copper and zinc) and an electrolyte (sulfuric acid). The liquid in a potato can
act as the electrolyte and generate electricity between two electrodes.
A potato battery is an electrochemical battery, otherwise known as an electrochemical
cell. An electrochemical cell is a cell in which chemical energy is converted to electric energy by
a spontaneous electron transfer. In the case of the potato, the zinc in the nail reacts with the copper
wire. The potato acts as a sort of buffer between the zinc ions and the copper ions. The zinc and
copper ions would still react if they touched within the potato but they would only generate heat.
Since the potato keeps them apart, the electron transfer has to take place over the copper wires of
the circuit, which channels the energy into the bulb.
Chapter III
Methodology

Materials:
-Potatoes
-Crocodile Clips
-Copper Wire
-Galvanized Nails
-Copper Coins
-Dry Cell
-Receptacles
-Bulb
-Clock
-

1st Method Steps:

1
Gather the necessary materials. To make a single potato battery you will need a
potato, a galvanized nail, a copper coin, two alligator clip leads with clips on both
ends, and a voltmeter.
 Galvanized nails are standard nails that have a zinc coating. [3] They can be
purchased at any hardware or home improvement store.
 Use a fresh potato as the experiment depends upon the juices inside the potato.[4]

2
Insert the galvanized nail near the middle of the potato. Push the nail into the
potato until it is almost to the other side. It’s okay if you push it all the way
through, just pull it back until it no longer sticks out of the other end.[5]
 Some juice will come out of the potato during this step, but that’s okay.
 Cover your work surface with plastic or newspaper to avoid getting potato juice
everywhere.

3
 Insert the copper coin into the potato about an inch away from the
galvanized nail. Repeat the previous step with the copper coin. Make sure that
the nails are not touching within the potato. If they touch, the circuit will not be
complete and the battery will not produce any voltage.
 If the nails do end up touching, simply reposition them so they are no longer
touching.
 The distance between the nails does not need to be exactly one inch, but you want
them to be close together.

4
Connect one clip to the copper coin and one lead of the voltmeter. The
voltmeter should have a black lead and red lead. Connect the copper coin to the
red lead of the voltmeter using the alligator clips.[6]
 Some voltmeters have black and yellow leads instead of black and red. In this
case, use the yellow lead for this step.

5
Connect the second clip to the galvanized nail and the remaining lead of the
voltmeter. The galvanized nail should be connected to the black lead of the
voltmeter.[7]
 Make sure the alligator clip is securely attached to both the nail and the lead.

6
Check the reading on the voltmeter. You should see a small increase in voltage
on the voltmeter. You may notice that the voltmeter is reading a negative value. If
this is the case, simply switch the clips on the voltmeter leads and it should
change to a positive voltage.
 If the voltage is very low, try moving the nails closer together. Again, make sure
they are not touching within the potato.

2nd Method Steps:

1
Gather your materials together. To make a potato battery you will need two
galvanized nails, two copper coins, two potatoes, three alligator clip leads with
clips on both ends, and a small clock.
 Galvanized nails are regular nails that have a zinc coating that is necessary for this
experiment.[8] They can be found at a standard hardware or home improvement
store.
 Copper coins, if needed, can also be found at a standard hardware or home
improvement store.
 It doesn’t matter what color your alligator clip leads are as long as they have clips
on both ends.
 Use firm and fresh potatoes. The liquid in the potatoes is necessary for this
experiment, so dried out potatoes will not work.[9]
 Remove the battery from the clock before you begin.

2
Insert one galvanized nail into the middle of each potato. Using firm pressure,
insert the nail into the potato until it almost reaches the other side. If you
accidentally push it all the way through, don’t worry! Simply pull the nail back so
it is no longer sticking out.[10]
 Some potato juice may leak out while doing this, but it will not affect the
experiment.
 To make cleanup easier at the end, cover your work surface with newspaper or a
plastic bag.

3
Push one copper coin into each potato about one inch apart from the
galvanized nail. Repeat the previous step with the copper coin, ensuring that it
does not touch the galvanized nail.[11]
 At this point, each potato should have one galvanized nail and one copper coin
inserted about an inch apart from each other.
 The exact distance between the nails is not important, you just want them to be
close together without touching.

4
Connect the two potatoes with one alligator clip lead. Attach one clip to the
galvanized nail in the first potato and the other clip to the copper coin in the
second potato. This will complete the circuit for your battery.
 Finishing this step, the two potatoes should be attached to each other and the
clock.
 Check to make sure that all of your clips are securely attached.

5
 Attach one clip lead to the copper coin and the other clip to the positive side
of the battery box. Look at the battery box and identify the (+) sign on one of the
sides. Clip one end of the wire to this positive side. Take the other end and clip it
to the copper coin in the first potato.[12]
 Make sure the clip is securely attached to the nail and the battery box.
 This makes the first connection in the circuit for the battery.

6
Attach the second clip lead to the galvanized nail in the second potato and
the negative side of the battery box. The other side of the battery box will have
a (-) sign on it. Clip a new lead onto this negative end. Clip the other side of the
lead onto the galvanized nail in the second potato.[13]
 Again, make sure to clip the leads on securely.
 At this point, each potato should be connected to the clock, but not to each other.
One wire should be attached to the copper coin on one potato and a second wire
should be attached to the galvanized nail on the second potato.

7
Check to see if the clock is working. At this point, the second hand on the clock
should be moving. It’s powered completely by the potato battery! If the clock
isn’t working, check to make sure you have the correct leads attached to the
battery box. The copper coin needs to be on the positive terminal and the
galvanized nail needs to be on the negative terminal.
 If it still isn’t working, try reversing the leads.
 Make sure you are also using fresh potatoes.
 When you’re finished, remove the leads connecting the potatoes and reinstall the
battery into the clock.