This month more than 300 LED lights were illuminated by the Dutch company Plant-e in a new energy project called "Starry Sky." Although the bulbs were ordinary, the electricity running through them derived from a new process that harnesses the power of living plants.

"Starry Sky" and a similar project an hour's drive away, near Plant-e's Wageningen headquarters, are the two first commercial installations of the company's emerging technology. Both power lighting, but the company also sells Wi-Fi hot spots, mobile chargers, and rooftop electricity modules, all fueled by the byproducts of living plants.

Plant-e's co-founder and CEO, Marjolein Helder, believes that this technology could be revolutionary. Using plants to generate electricity brings a new clean energy option to the table, but even more exciting, the company plans to expand the technology to existing wetlands and rice paddies where electricity can be generated on a larger scale. This could give power to some of the world's poorest places.