Scientists harvest electricity from plants

Technology captures clean, excess energy from biological processes that take place at the roots

Dutch scientists have developed a revolutionary system that could one day help isolated villages around the world steadily generate electricity from mundane waterlogged plants such as rice growing in paddy fields.

"It's based on the principle that plants produce more energy than they need," said Marjo-lein Helder, co-founder of Plant-e, which makes products that harvest energy from living plants.