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Energy is fundamental to existence as we know it, and it’s likely that you learned in grade school about its mechanical, kinetic, and potential forms. But you may not be familiar with a concept known as piezoelectricity, in which mechanical energy is used to create an electrical current through materials with specific properties. Always On Electric located in Poaha, HI, are experts in all matters of electricity. Below, their head electrician explains piezoelectricity and some of its uses.

What Is Piezoelectricity? A Local Electrician Explains

What Is Piezoelectricity? 

Certain materials, such as crystals or ceramics, can transfer mechanical force into electrical current. As the materials are compressed together, the charge can flow from piece to piece. With these materials, the reverse is true as well: Passing an electric current through piezoelectric materials results in a mechanical response as the items vibrate back and forth.

How Is Piezoelectricity Used?

electricianChances are that you encounter piezoelectricity far more than you realize. For example, car cigarette lighters ignite as a crystal is struck to create a high enough voltage to ignite the tip. Additionally, many professional cameras use piezoelectricity for their auto-focus features. 

The medical industry has also increased demand for piezoelectric materials. Ultrasounds utilize the technology to create images of unborn babies. Revolutionary technology is even creating applications for minimally invasive surgical techniques.

Despite its many uses, piezoelectricity is still primarily used in industrial and manufacturing applications. The energy is harvested for operations that require high voltage. Some manufacturing facilities harvest the vibrations from energy to charge and power their factory’s equipment. Some cities have even attempted to harvest energy from their citizens’ steps on the street and convert it to usable power.

While piezoelectricity sounds like a complicated and intimidating concept, it’s simply creating electric current from mechanical force. As one local electrician has demonstrated here, materials possessing this property have wide uses. If you’d like to learn more about piezoelectricity and how it may apply to your home electrical wiring or business, give the team a call at (808) 640-3391 or contact them online to speak with a licensed electrician today. 

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