Wandsworth students place third in Eurekas competition

Daniela and Amélie, both 15 and from Wandsworth, secured third place in the Institute of Physics’ Eurekas competition with their project Rot-to-Watts.

The project explores how food waste can be used to generate electricity and was entered as a video submission.

Their prototype—a small insulated box fitted with thermoelectric generators—was placed inside hot compost, which typically reaches temperatures between 49 and 71 degrees Celsius.

The thermoelectric generators convert the heat from the compost into electrical energy, producing enough voltage to power a lightbulb. The judges commended the project for its originality and practical application of physics to an environmental challenge.

Daniela said: "We just thought about how much food we waste on a daily basis and tried to find ways to utilise it, instead of just letting it rot. That’s when we came up with the idea to use physics and different electrical components to solve our problem.

"I really enjoyed the practical aspects too, and I’ve learnt so much about compost and sustainable food waste through our research."

Amélie said they were thrilled with their achievement, she said: "We’re so excited to have won third place. I can’t believe it, especially since so many people took part.

"We both also really care about the environment and it’s brilliant to show how energy for our lights and charging can be done sustainably – especially as this will matter so much more in the future."

Their physics teacher, Daniel Martin, praised their efforts, he said: "Amelie and Daniela have done an incredible job and all of us at Emanuel School are so proud of them.

"They’ve shown an impressive level of dedication in researching and building their energy-conversion prototype, and it is inspiring how they wanted to solve this problem sustainably. They really do give you a lot of hope for the physicists of tomorrow."

The Eurekas competition, which attracted hundreds of entries, invited young people across the UK and Ireland to answer the question: How can physics make your home ready for the future? Entries included videos, models, artwork, presentations and creative writing.