It's a classic kids' science experiment: stick a nail and a penny into a potato, and use the tiny bit of electricity generated to power a small clock or other low-power device. Many of us remember MacGyver pulling off a similar trick in the show. When I was younger, I used to put a nail and a penny in an apple and rub a headphone plug along them to make static sounds.
Recently, someone shared an article in one of my prepping groups claiming that boiled potatoes can power a light for 40 days. The article even suggested this could have helped Texans during the recent winter storm blackout. Naturally, I had to test it out — and no, it’s not true.
Here’s what I learned from the experiment:
- The idea of using a potato as a battery is based on real science. It’s not the potato itself that generates electricity, but the metals inserted into it.
- Zinc and copper are commonly used as electrodes. The zinc slowly dissolves in the potato's acidic juice, releasing electrons that flow through the circuit to the copper.
- A single potato only produces about half a volt. To power something like an LED, you’d need multiple potatoes connected in series.
- Boiling a potato may give a slight boost in voltage, but it doesn’t make it a practical power source for anything more than a very small LED.
- Even if you used dozens of potatoes, the amount of energy produced would be minimal and impractical for any real-world use.
In 2011, Israeli scientists claimed they could power a room with boiled potato slices sandwiched between copper and zinc plates. While the concept of reducing resistance by softening the potato made some sense, the idea never caught on. The scientists later said red tape and food waste rules were the main obstacles.
I tested this myself. I used a multimeter to measure the voltage from a potato with a nail and copper wire. I got about 0.46 volts. Then I tried connecting a light bulb and even a small LED — nothing worked. I tried boiling the potatoes, which gave a slight increase in voltage, but not enough to power anything meaningful.
Even if you connected several potatoes together, the total voltage still wasn’t enough to run a standard light. In fact, experiments show it takes around six potatoes to light a single LED, and that’s only for a few seconds.
Some YouTube videos claim to light up bulbs or even run games like Doom with potato batteries. These are mostly for entertainment, and many are outright hoaxes. For example, plugging a light bulb directly into a potato won't work because the contacts on the bulb are separated by an insulator. You'd need a much stronger current than a potato can provide.
The truth is, while potato batteries are a fun educational tool, they're not a viable power source for emergencies. If you’re really concerned about power outages, invest in a proper backup system — like solar panels, batteries, or a generator. And don’t waste your potatoes on a gimmick. Eat them instead.
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