It’s hard to believe there were no power stations once, in early days of electricity and battery science. You see, electricity was still a mystery back then. Adventurous scientists – although we remember some as philosophers and priests – had to manufacture their own energy using electrostatic generators. Philosophy was, and still is the study of questions for which there are no hard-and-fast answers.
The Origins of Electrostatic Generators
We know from science class we can generate electricity by standing on a blanket while rubbing the family cat – if it allows us to do so, that is. Early researchers tussled with the puzzle, ‘how can we investigate electricity if it exists only in thunderstorms’.
They needed to scale it down to manageable proportions. Thus began the search for energy from electrostatic generators they could use in their experiments, and there were many steps along the way.
After a variety of imaginative proposals, Dutch scientist Martin van Marum of Haarlem designed a large electrostatic machine with five-foot-diameter glass discs in 1783. These rubbed together to make electricity of either polarity with a potential of 330,000 volts.
Martin van Marum’s Invention Generated More than Static
Reliable static electricity enabled technology that in turn made batteries possible. For without electricity, how would pioneers charge them or even understand the flow of ions? Hiraga Gennai, born 1728 studied medicinal herbs in Osaka Japan before he wrote books on science and nature topics.
We remember Hiraga Gennai best for his miniaturized version of Martin van Marum’s giant machine. By rotating his small twin discs, he could charge the two terminals to deliver static electricity. Our picture is of a replica of his eliketer in the National Museum of Science in Tokyo.
It’s such a shame the original machine vanished. Remarkable things are happening all around us in the world of battery technology. We are doing our best to record developments here, but we don’t have unlimited resources.
We believe it is important scientists preserve their prototypes, because we are witnessing a giant leap forward in battery technology. Future generations may wish they could put their hands on current developments, as much as we yearn to see one of Hiraga Gennai’s electrostatic generators lost in the mists of antiquity.
Related
Japans Contribution to Our Battery World
Franklin Bells – Alarms of Approaching Storms
Preview Image: Eliketer Demo
