Energy efficiency.

[too-open-minded]

What are the newest most innovative ways that we are conserving and harvesting energy right now?

 

Do you have any ideas as for new ways to harvest energy?

 

Is it possible that other forms of energy could be more efficient than kinetic?

[CaptainPanic]

Recently, I guess the big news is that the mainstream sustainable types of energy (wind, solar, biomass) are becoming economically interesting.

[too-open-minded]

I think clean energy will be the future, just people calling shots (Private interest groups) are going to try and get every last bit of money out of the oil industry first. Alot of legal work and contracting will have to be done before this transition is made. I don't think it will be in our lifetime.

 

 

 

 

[Gui10]

We are on the right track concerning energy in my opinion. The domain of energy (particularly clean energy) is increasingly gaining investors and general interest.

[too-open-minded]

Okay cool clean energy is awesome, but what if we could find a way to harvest energy chemically instead of kinetically?

 

Solar power is the deepest we have gotten into developing new ways of harvesting energy the way i'm talking about, I want something more sophisticated.

[CaptainPanic]

Okay cool clean energy is awesome, but what if we could find a way to harvest energy chemically instead of kinetically?

 

Solar power is the deepest we have gotten into developing new ways of harvesting energy the way i'm talking about, I want something more sophisticated.

Chemically? Like plants do (photosynthesis)?

[too-open-minded]

Yes lol like the other thread

 

http://www.scienceforums.net/topic/68290-biochemical-solar-power/page__p__696466__fromsearch__1#entry696466

[CaptainPanic]

Yes lol like the other thread

 

http://www.scienceforums.net/topic/68290-biochemical-solar-power/page__p__696466__fromsearch__1#entry696466

But I answered the question already? (here).

 

So, what else do you want to know?

[too-open-minded]

I want to know the most innovative new ways of harvesting energy being hypothesized and researched right now. Clean energy is cool but I want to talk about new things, or making clean energy more efficient.

 

Anything under the sun in this thread, I want to talk about energy and the newest most innovative ways to harvest it.

[JMJones0424]

My favorite pie-in-the-sky dream is to mine Helium 3 from the surface of the moon for safe, clean fusion energy on Earth and an economic reason to colonize the moon. A win-win, if it works and if we have the gumption to try.

[too-open-minded]

I like helium nuclear power, alot less waste product.

[Ben Banana]

Too bad techniques of energy production are irrelevant to "energy efficiency." The techniques involved in energy consumption make the appropriately corresponding subject to "energy efficiency."

Edited August 21, 2012 by Ben Bowen

[too-open-minded]

Ben, your right. I guess refining a turbine in a nuclear power plant would make energy more efficient and things like that. I guess i'm talking more about new energy. Please though, any ways on making something more efficient I would love to hear although i'm not an engineer or an electrician so..... probably not going to comprehend everything :/

[Ben Banana]

so..... probably not going to comprehend everything

Yep. I speak dolphin.

 

I guess refining a turbine in a nuclear power plant would make energy more efficient and things like that.

Although you worded it a bit wobbly, yes.

 

Neither do I know anything about thermodynamics, electrodynamics, or whatever sort of field applies to efficient energy consumption.

 

See this post of mine:

http://www.scienceforums.net/topic/65521-flying-cars-will-it-ever-truly-happen-terrafugia-coming/page__view__findpost__p__669471

[too-open-minded]

I just meant that I probably wont fully understand everything stated about energy efficiency. I wasn't calling you a dolphin lol.

[vampares]

I was interested in power generation on and off.

 

My original idea was that of geo-thermal energy back in 1996. This has been explored and thus far it is neither clean cheap, reliable or very productive. It's still a good idea though in my opinion. Just terribly, um . . . you'd need an oil rig greater than you could afford, a local government with it's head up its ass and a gung-ho attitude.

 

The next is non-mainstream solar energy.

 

First let me tell you something I tell my sister and she blows me off:

 

If you save 50% on everything you purchase, you will have to work 50% as much. We don't live in a communist economy. There is no token gratitude.

 

Same holds for energy. If you save it, you earn it. Very difficult concept.

 

If you pay twice as much for what you purchase you will have to work twice as much! In all honesty, few people can work 80 work weeks.

 

 

Why does this matter?

 

My next suggestion is low energy solar films. We can print anything on an aluminum can. This is as simple a two coats. Copper as thin as gold plating and on top red copper oxide. You don't get alot from it. BUT if you coat a lot of stuff you get a lot of surface area producing something. There are many different combinations that could be used.

 

Problem is if you have no money and I give you $0.45, there is just about nothing you can buy. If I do this 100 times, I would expect you to have $45. But if you don't think $0.45 is worth anything each time I give it to you . . . well now you have nothing.

 

And in some regards it is really a waste of time if I don't walk up to you and put it in your hand. You have to take 1/2 hour out of your day to get it from me, now it really isn't worth anything at all.

 

This is the attraction of nuclear energy. The power output of a steam driven turbine is quite large. It's like having $100 for everyone on scienceforums.net. I make a lot of friends. It is reliable. It is clean as the LLRW disposal.

 

OK back to the solar coating. Cars for example are a good example where the technology could be used. Don't like the color? Bah. It's elemental. Its so solid. You can store the energy in the 12volt battery. You may only get 25 watts. What good is 25 watts in todays automobile? It's nothing. Because automobile manufactures have given themselves to a worthless token economy; somehow it has become virtuous to over-consume.

 

I like helium nuclear power, alot less waste product.

I did some google on low level nuclear waste. It seem that my state is part of some program where we deal with it ourselves...but nobody seems to know where it is or what happened to it. There is sort of a common problem that begins to crop up 40 years after the original technology came along. If you were to propose technology of that era today, you'd run into stiff resistance.

 

Most of the stuff is shrouded in "you can't understand this because your too stupid" kindof unit mismatch and what not. These days we have googleearth imagry. You can find a hole with w, x, y and z aggregate in piles. Could be road work, could be the solution-to-pollution-is-dilution (and I'm not saying it isn't).

 

This is the same "industry" that detonated atomic weapons on American soil and abroad for years. Not exactly clean as the whistle. They did eventually stop testing atomic weapons all together (as far as we know) but I haven't heard of them tyeing up any loose ends regarding the LLRW. Apparently the soil has a "carrying capacity" for nuclear reactors.

 

See you shoot a few presidents and now everyone has to tippy-toe around his or her own personal security.

 

As I see it, as a casual observer, there's only a few years before something gets outed. They work with the old-timers exclusively. At which point in time we'll see what comes of it. Probably not more nuclear reactor permits.

[too-open-minded]

I wouldn't throw fission powered turbines out the window just yet.

[ralfy]

You can look up issues such as EROEI rather than prices. For example,

 

"The Energy Trap"

 

http://physics.ucsd.edu/do-the-math/2011/10/the-energy-trap/

 

That is, look at the energy and resources required to produce energy from a given source, then see how look it will take to make up for the energy and resource cost.

 

Also, don't forget the need for petrochemicals, availability of resources such as oil (according to the IEA, conventional production peaked in 2006), etc.

 

Finally, there's also the phenomenon in free market capitalist systems of using non-utilized resources or energy to make more profits. Thus, efficiency may lead to more consumption.

[Dr. Jameson]

The cleanest and most efficient energy source to date is called the "Magnetic Motor." It is a device which uses magnets alighted in certain patterns so that a central rod which also contains magnets spins. This central rod is connected to a generator so that it can create electricity. Many videos can be found on YouTube showing these small motors in action, however this technology has never been mass produced due to certain... CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.

[too-open-minded]

Conflicts of interest piss me off.

[J.C.MacSwell]

The cleanest and most efficient energy source to date is called the "Magnetic Motor." It is a device which uses magnets alighted in certain patterns so that a central rod which also contains magnets spins. This central rod is connected to a generator so that it can create electricity. Many videos can be found on YouTube showing these small motors in action, however this technology has never been mass produced due to certain... CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.

 

Yeah, I started building them myself and the oil companies all got together and shut down my supply of magnets. "No magnets for you...6 MONTHS!" is what they told me, so at that point I simply gave up.

 

I tried to work a deal with Santa and the Easter Bunny to at least power toys for free, but apparently they have been coerced by the battery companies and so they refuse to take me seriously.

 

I was so disgusted with them all that I even threw out the magnetic motors that were powering my automobile and generating my household electricity and went back to consuming fossil fuels like everyone else.

 

At least I tried...

Edited October 19, 2012 by J.C.MacSwell

[Phi for All]

Yeah, I started building them myself and the oil companies all got together and shut down my supply of magnets. "No magnets for you...6 MONTHS!" is what they told me, so at that point I simply gave up.

 

I tried to work a deal with Santa and the Easter Bunny to at least power toys for free, but apparently they have been coerced by the battery companies and so they refuse to take me seriously.

 

I was so disgusted with them all that I even threw out the magnetic motors that were powering my automobile and generating my household electricity and went back to consuming fossil fuels like everyone else.

 

At least I tried...

Nice try, magnet boy. Those of us in the solar and geothermal industries know you have a hidden stash of magnets. We've been watching you and we're coming for the speakers in your stereo and computer, just as soon as you step outside to resupply.

 

OVERTHROW OVERUNITY!!!

[J.C.MacSwell]

Nice try, magnet boy. Those of us in the solar and geothermal industries know you have a hidden stash of magnets. We've been watching you and we're coming for the speakers in your stereo and computer, just as soon as you step outside to resupply.

 

OVERTHROW OVERUNITY!!!

 

Ha! You can take away my magnets but you'll never take away my magnetism!

 

Edited October 19, 2012 by J.C.MacSwell