"I love that you've brought this to attention. An extensive database of uncommon but resistant and hardy plants/foods could be developed and organized by climate. Ease of growth and processing should also be taken in to account. I will try to…"
A crash course in changing the world.
A Look at Existing Alternative Power.
Having taken a look at some of the leading ideas for fuels to replace oil and coal, I decided to take the time to write a position paper (blog) about each. these are my opinions based on my research over the years.
Solar: Solar Power is by far the cleanest way to produce power. It is an endless stream of energy coming from the sun that will not stop any time soon. If we could harness only 0.3% of the sun hitting the earth at any given time, we could meet all of the worlds power needs.
The problem starts with "how". the photo voltaic cells used in solar panels are very inefficient compared to other forms of power or even the heat energy from the sun itself. moreover, as they are made of silicone, they take just about as much energy to produce as they will ever make back during their life. add to that the fact that they are very expensive, and you have a very problematic solution.
I believe the next technology will be heat related. they are already doing this in California with a mirror system which focuses on a single tower and boils water to turn a turbine. I also have a little idea I'm working on which I hope will be cheaper. but problem remain.
Ethanol: This is a sort of oil made by plants (usually corn). it is the loudest solution being offered in the United States, but only there as it is a bit ridiculous. it's actually being pushed by the farm lobby as it would give them more money but wouldn't benefit anyone else. it takes more energy to grow and move and process the plant than it will ever bring back, and when it's burned it still pollutes. not as much as oil, but still too much.
The idea of using it as a basis for cooking oil in poor areas, using already rotten produce is a good one. but it should not be taken to a higher level.
Natural Gas: This solves a few problems and pollutes a little less than oil and coal. The problems it solves are those of the oil reserves and the western countries having to bow before non democratic countries with oil. there is plenty of natural gas out there.
The problem with it is that it still pollutes. and so it does not solve the climate crisis, or any other pollution based problem. if we move to natural gas, we may have to pay less for energy, but it wont be sustainable or renewable. we would just have a new source and delay the problem to our grandkids. I would rather solve the problem right now.
Wind: Wind is another great force like the sun. but it is equally hard to harness. the winds are stronger higher up, so we need to build large towers and huge blades to get there. they make a nice amount of local power, are a little ugly, and are unreliable. they don't work if there is no wind and so don't work everywhere. that's ok of course. not every solution is for everyone. another problem is that they kill a lot of birds. and so they cannot work in places with high bird migration patterns.
Geothermal: This is the ideal for of energy as it is almost endless and green. the problem with it is that most of the world doesn't have a volcano near it. wherever there is Geothermal energy there is great potential to make good clean energy. Iceland does this wonderfully but the power cant be moved to the rest of the world.
Hydrogen: The best solution yet. it is exactly like oil in the way that it is energy that can be moved from place to place and then burned to produce. when it's burned it does not pollute but rather turns into fresh drinking water. I can't think of a better solution for Africa, water and power.
There is one big problem with this, and that is that it is hard to make. although it is the most abundant form of energy in the universe, in order to make it you need power. it has an amazing conversion rate (98% I think) but it still means you need the energy from somewhere. the solution to this, I think, is in Geothermal energy )as mentioned earlier). use the endless heat from Geothermal energy to make Hydrogen and then move it to Europe or the US with pipes. there is Geothermal energy in most places which are sort of near populated areas, but not enough for power lines. this could make up the difference. giving people both clean power and fresh drinking water at the same time.
These are my thoughts. I would love to hear comments.
Views: 51
-
Comment by Omri or something on March 24, 2010 at 9:16am
-
Ethanol is the sort of oil that is produced from plants. but as I said, it's a bit of a waste.
you can make power (electricity) out of energy. body heat is a little hard to harness unless you're riding a bike and turning a wheel.
I'm really glad you liked it.
-
Comment by ben on March 24, 2010 at 9:21am
-
Great post Omri.
On solar - there is a great deal of work being done (primarily by General Electric (GE)) on using a cadmium and tellurium based semiconductor to capture light and convert it into electricity. These are known in the business as thin film solar cells and are attractive in part because, compared to silicon, there's still a lot to learn about the physics of cadmium telluride, which suggests it could be made more efficient, which in turn can lower the cost per watt of solar power. It's also potentially cheaper to make cadmium-telluride solar panels than it is to make silicon solar cells, making it easier to compete with established solar-panel makers.
One point I would make about your list (and I know it is of alternative energy) would be that in some parts of the world Coal is still seen as a viable and plentiful resource that undercuts all these technologies. Australia for example has by most estimate about 100 - 150 years worth of usable and easily extractable coal and therefore convincing a country in that position that alternative energy sources are worth investing in will be a hard sell at the Government/big business end.
Most people here on EVOKE understand that globally it is not an option, but we must bear in mind outliers and consider all options.
Like I said great post...you've got me thinking and this is a well researched resource for others in the community.
Well worth a +1 for KS
-
-
I'm glad you liked it.
a tellurium based semiconductor that has better stats is something I've been waiting for. I hope to be able to change this post if it works.
Sadly coal is always a cheaper option. I think the cheapest option is Hydrogen take from a geothermal source, but it takes infrastructure. I think the next 10 years will show a few technologies that may change the attractiveness of coal.
-
-
Omri - On Wind energy. Have you seen the posts of (Agent) Kenneth Declercq (http://www.urgentevoke.com/profile/kennethdeclercq)?
He's had a number of really inventive and novel thoughts on how you can tackle some of the problems you've raised in your blog. Have a look at his post on converting power lines into wind turbines:
http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blogs/transforming-power-lines-...
-
-
We had this idea in Israel as well, but it there were 2 problems
1. we are in a heavy bird migration area, and so wind turbines aren't a great solution for us.
2. the power line structures weren't strong enough to keep up the turbine.
I have posted another blog on an idea I had to create a new type of wind turbine which wouldn't have these problems.
http://www.urgentevoke.com/profiles/blogs/a-new-type-of-wind-turbine
check it out if it interests you.
-
-
Good points
1 - Wind, like other alternative energy sources, may only be applicable to certain regions. Impact on the ecology should always be a primary consideration...most of the time it isn't though.
2 - This is a purely engineering issue and although not trivial is solvable and not as much of a barrier as point 1.
Very interesting idea for a new type of wind turbine. Sounds plausible but you will need to factor in how you move your horizontal blades, if it is a mechanical process the power needed to move them and factor that into the equation.
You could probably throw together a prototype with odd bits of scrap metal. Perhaps put it out to your local high school or college as a project for a class of students?
-
-
I wanted to make a prototype. it's the next on my list after the solar project I'm working on (the other one on ACT 3) it's all amazingly simple to make it turn a quarter of a turn with a cog wheel. I just don't know how to do it.
would love it if you could help figure it out
-
-
Let me sit down for a few minutes later today and try to figure out a couple of options.
I'm willing to bet though that this is a problem that has been solved for another engineering field...Any engineers out there who have a potential solution/view?
-
Comment by Karen L. on March 24, 2010 at 12:27pm
-
1. Very good Omri. Well thought out. Organized.
2. Engineers out there? I'm not one. But I discovered Engineering for Change hours ago from my time on Twitter.
Their twitter is @Engineer4Change
They had videos on using wind energy.
___________________________________________________
Speaking of Twitter:
I would strongly encourage all Evoke Agents to sign up for Twitter:
Twitter to me is not social networking. It is Crucial Networking.
For connections, collabrations, solutions.
Twitterverse is unlimited in scope.
@googlewaveyour p.s., I just shared your article with my Twitter followers. Good luck.
Hope you and all agents sign up for Twitter.
-
Comment by Michele Baron on March 24, 2010 at 4:09pm
-
good post, Omri. Solar and valent, telluride, hydrogen, natural- bio- gas, etc., are attracting much-needed creative thinking these days. So is geothermal--which could be quite useful in Pacific Rim, other active areas. Did read one geothermic paper from a seismic-energy scholar in Turkey once, though, which postulated that excessive piping/drainage to harness thermal and pressure energies (etc) of super-hot water flows (and he touched on ambient gas, oil as well--complicated paper) was potentially hazardous to topography of Turkey itself--semi-aqueous sand beds and lime channels allowing flows of water, etc., could collapse, cause earthquakes if energy-harnessing projects were not "closed-system" (returning flows to channels at equal rates with removal--wouldn't work with fossil fuels--and he theorized that pumping water in would create imbalances in sand/limestone structures due to lighter viscosity/float rates--and could negatively impact hydrothermal flows due as secondary effect as well...)
Can't find site now, but will look if you are interested. Only a small tangent, though it might be relevant for water-pumping (THAI heel-toe method with oil sands--new tech--) and other sand-shale fossile fuel harnessing methods as well?
Latest Activity
Fourth of July on the Lake
This past weekend was the annual celebration at the lake house in Connecticut. It is amazing that the lake is still so clear and beautiful after all these years. The watershed association has done a wonderful job protecting these waters from the damaging effects of development.The wood grill was finally ready to cook on, so we didn't miss the propane tank fueled grill anymore. The food actually tasted fresher than in the past and was easy to keep fueled.Dad was very proud of the solar hybrid…See More
Stinging Nettle
In this blog post I will focus on a plant that is abundant in our nature, and which is immensely nutritious. It's of course the Stinging Nettle. Let's start with the chemical constituents of this plant:37 % Non-Nitrogen-Extracts19 - 29 % Ash9 - 21 % Fiber4 % Fat22 % ProteinOnce the leaves are drid, their protein content can reach an astounding 40 %, which is much higher than beef, which even under the best of circ**stances can never exceed 31 % protein. In addition the Stinging Nettle consists…See More
The meal
It is 7'oclock, I was late home from work due to an assignment that i wanted to get ahead on. By the time I get home I am feeling extremley tired and I cannot be bothered to make a proper meal. I walk to the fridge and open it to see what there is for me to eat. All of the out of date foodstuffs have been automaticaly thrown away by the fridge, they will be recycled tomorrow as animal feed or something. I see i have organic local eggs and some local cheese. Foods are vacc** sealded for easy…See More
Future
FutureToday is 2020/1/1. It is just like yesterday. The war is still continuing. It has started since 2010. In 2010, that year was a horrible year. Almost every energy ran out. Every country’s governments were crushed down at the same time. There were riots everywhere. All of the big company’s bosses were killed xdeadx in the riots. Troops fought each other everywhere. Food was bought up xawayx at once. There were no more food supplies in any shops. The economy was all crushed down. All the…See More
public servants
The exchange works directly for state and public workers and servants. It gives them credit in exchange for the amount of public work they contribute to the community. The more constructive they are based off a base rate the more credit they recieve.
© 2024 Created by Alchemy.
Powered by
You need to be a member of Urgent Evoke to add comments!
Join Urgent Evoke