The holy grail of renewable energy research may lie in the cooking pot, according to scientists.

The search for a cheap source of electricity for remote, off-grid communities, has led to batteries that work on freshly boiled potatoes.

One slice of potato can generate 20 hours of light, and several slices could provide enough energy to power simple medical equipment and even a low-power computer, said a research team from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel  ......