Imagine being out backpacking and not having to worry about the added weight of batteries for your headlamp. With Earthcells, you will be able to scoop up any soil along the trail, place it into the copper shell and shove the anode down into the soil. The soil will act as an electolyte when you moisten it, producing a simple, clean battery that will produce around 1.5v.

Arrange them in series or parallel to produce a desired voltage output. Earthcells produce low current (50-20 ma), but this is enough to fully light most LEDs when paired with an Earthlight circuit. We are working on a simple flashlight that uses the cells and the special Earthlight circuit to light LEDs that normally require 3v.

Cells will provide power for a very long period of time if kept slightly moist. Many months perhaps, as we have not seen one run down under normal conditions. Power output will reduce as the cell dries out, but surprisingly, setting them in the sun provides a temporary boost of power despite drying them out. Cells can be stored dry indefinitely, and then be reactivated with water.