This isn't the first I've heard of using piezoelectrics to collect power from rainwater. The last one was actually using a separate piezo element under a plastic sheet. Maybe the two research teams aught to put their heads together and try to double their yeild?
P.S. Even if it's not a massive surplus, every little bit helps!
While I was in college, I worked in the IT department. In my experience, your end-users will have a proverbial shit-fit if their computer's HD starts spooling up when they aren't doing anything. While it would be nice to use the spare space for data storage, I'm not sure it would be worth the headache. The volume of user complaints would skyrocket, you'd have to train them to leave the things on all the time, and you'd have a distributed data pool to manage. Changing user behavior is like teaching a two-year-old to say "thank you" (It's possible, but not fun) and your electrical and manpower expenses would probably outstrip the savings.
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This isn't the first I've heard of using piezoelectrics to collect power from rainwater. The last one was actually using a separate piezo element under a plastic sheet. Maybe the two research teams aught to put their heads together and try to double their yeild? P.S. Even if it's not a massive surplus, every little bit helps!
While I was in college, I worked in the IT department. In my experience, your end-users will have a proverbial shit-fit if their computer's HD starts spooling up when they aren't doing anything. While it would be nice to use the spare space for data storage, I'm not sure it would be worth the headache. The volume of user complaints would skyrocket, you'd have to train them to leave the things on all the time, and you'd have a distributed data pool to manage. Changing user behavior is like teaching a two-year-old to say "thank you" (It's possible, but not fun) and your electrical and manpower expenses would probably outstrip the savings.