Scientists have attempted to generate electric current using the Earth’s rotation

A team of physicists from Princeton University conducted an experiment in which they investigated whether the Earth’s rotation could be used to generate electricity. Although the measured voltage was extremely low, the concept itself has attracted interest from experts, as it represents a rare attempt to directly harness the planet’s kinetic energy. Whether it will remain a promising basis for generating renewable energy remains to be seen.

Image source: journals.aps.org

In March 2025, a team of physicists led by Christopher Chyba presented the results of an experiment that attempted to harness the Earth’s rotation to generate electricity. The idea, while seemingly simple, has only begun to be seriously explored in physics in the last decade. “It’s a bit counterintuitive, and it’s been debated since Faraday,” said Paul Thomas, a physicist at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire who was not involved in the study.

The researchers oriented a special device, consisting of a weak manganese-zinc ferrite conductor with electrodes at the ends, at an angle of 57 degrees, perpendicular to the rotational motion of the Earth and its magnetic field. This configuration, according to the team’s calculations, could create conditions in which the movement of the device relative to the magnetic field would lead to the creation of an electric potential.

Energy harvesting experiment. The cylinder is placed at an angle perpendicular to the Earth’s magnetic field and the direction of its rotation. Sensors record the voltage between the ends of the cylinder. Measurements are taken in the dark to eliminate the influence of the photoelectric effect

During the experiment, the device generated a voltage of 17.84 microvolts, a fraction of the voltage produced by a single neuron. Despite this, the result was described as “controversial but intriguing.” It is worth considering that such a small voltage is extremely difficult to isolate from other physical influences. Retired physicist Rinke Wijngaarden, who conducted a similar experiment in 2018 and did not record the effect, said he still believes that the theory of Chiba and others is wrong.

Theoretically, the device could work if the generator moved through the Earth’s magnetic field, parts of which remained stationary, causing a current to flow. However, as Nature notes, this could cause the electrons to redistribute, creating a counter force that would cancel out the effect. According to Chaiba and his team, they were able to eliminate this effect by creating a special material that is not prone to this redistribution, as it maintains a constant electrostatic force inside the device.

The team of physicists plans to scale up the experiment to generate practically useful amounts of energy. They calculate that if the system can be scaled up to meet the energy needs of the entire planet, the Earth’s rotation would slow by just 7 milliseconds over 100 years—comparable to how much the Moon’s gravity slows the planet’s rotation over the same period. In short, there’s still a lot of research to be done before scientists can say for sure that they can harness the energy of the Earth’s rotation to generate electricity.