# Taking the Piss: Harnessing the Power of Urine **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 17, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-the-piss-harnessing-the-power-of-urine/663757 "2013-07-17T15:29:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-the-piss-harnessing-the-power-of-urine/663757/1 "2013-07-17T15:29:46Z")
Story [here](http://www.news.com.au/technology/sci-tech/power-of-urine-can-charge-mobile-phones-says-dr-ioannis-ieropoulos/story-fn5fsgyc-1226680466299). Talk about your alternative energy! British scientists have found a way to charge cellphones using human urine, generating enough electricity to send a text message and surf the Web, not to mention make a call. Of course, they’re not just pissing on the phones … although being British, I don’t doubt they tried that. 😉 They put the urine through “a cascade of microbial fuel cells.” Should eventually have applications for areas without electricity. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-the-piss-harnessing-the-power-of-urine/663757/2 "2013-07-17T16:48:05Z")
You’ll be able to use your phone to post on Wikileaks. It’s not exactly green energy. Yellow, really. Will Apple introduce their new P-Phone? ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-the-piss-harnessing-the-power-of-urine/663757/3 "2013-07-17T18:25:57Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > Will Apple introduce their new P-Phone? Wouldn’t that be the iP-Phone? ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-the-piss-harnessing-the-power-of-urine/663757/4 "2013-07-17T19:19:10Z")
You could make a urine-powered game console: The Pii. And you wouldn’t have to pause the game after downing two Mountain Dews. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-the-piss-harnessing-the-power-of-urine/663757/5 "2013-07-17T21:58:09Z")
We had a couple of threads that addressed claims of pee power generation last year. I started one: > **[FVriday News Roundup -- Pee-Powered Generator, Breastfeeding Doll](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=671723)** > > Weird stugff on the internet new this morning: 1.) African girls’ pee-powered generator raises questions – A group of 14-year-old girls showed off a generator at a Science Fair in Lagos, Nigeria that runs off pee. Well, it runs off hydrogen... [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=674077&highlight=urine+power](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=674077&highlight=urine+power) I haven’t read the new articles, but the old ones were about a “generator” that actually produced less energy than was put into it one way or another. as I wrote at the time: > [@](#): > > As I said in that thread, they didn’t claim to generate more power than they consumed, so it’s not hokum, Think of it as a way to get rid of unwanted urine and providing yourself with portable energy as a sideline. this article does seemn to be using a different method, so maybe it is getting a net gain. But i wouldn’t hold my breath. Or maybe I should.