This is our first post from a contributor. CNStars17 sent this to us and asked if we would be interested in sharing this information with the public. We looked through it and were very impressed with not only his research but his content. Thank you CNStars, and we look forward to hearing more from you.
Have you heard the news out of Hawaii? Former NASA executive and physicist John Mankins captured solar energy from a mountain top in Maui and sent it wirelessly 92 miles to the main island of Hawaii. The team of researchers was only able to send around 20 watts, which is not even enough to power a fluorescent light bulb. Most of the power was lost in the transmission process.
Makins says that the project was limited by budget, and that with the proper equipment he could increase efficiency up to 64%.
Not impressed?
Did you know that 170 million gigawatts of solar energy hit the earth every second? That is more energy than the earth has used since the beginning of the industrial era. Now imagine being able to tap into that source on a large scale. With Mankins wireless energy transfer idea many satellites would be launched with high tech solar panels on them. Then the satellites would relay the energy to earth via harmless wireless energy transfer to receiving stations. Also, with the solar panels in space there is no loss in efficiency due to clouds or night. The energy would be available 24/7.
Mankins says he can get a demonstration system in orbit in around 6 years and have the full system up in around 15 years.
There are scientists in Japan that claim they could get the space-based solar power project started in less than 5 months with less than 1 million dollars. Their concept uses mirrors to focus as much solar power possible into the solar cells, and thus create 5 times more energy than conventional solar cells.
Thanks to CNStars17, we took more notice to the IBM commercials and ideas. It seems that everyone is jumping on the Green Train. Exxon, IBM, and the government are just a few of the major organizations that are starting to realize that if we don’t find some new procedures we are going to see our environment and our earth get worse. Here are some of IBM’s new ideas and how their short descriptions:
(1) A Greener Data Center: Reducing energy costs at the heart of their infrastructure.
(2) IBM Software for a Greener World: Transforming their processes, their infrastructure and the way people work.
(3) Energy Efficiency Benchmark Tool: Assess their data center’s performance and benchmark against other companies worldwide.
(4) Solutions for small and medium business: Options for every size of enterprise.
This is just a short description of energy-efficient Internet Technology IBM is incorporating to be more energy conscience. If you would like to look more into it, go HERE. There are more solutions IBM is incorporating, which will be covered later in other posts.
As for CNStars’ question: “What do we think about it”, the answer is plain and simple. We think that it is a little later than it should have happened, but at this time, any company willing to change in order to better our world is great. Companies with the credit and leverage such as IBM is especially exciting, because the average person has a harder time making a world-wide difference. Companies like IBM have the opportunity to pave the way for greener solutions to be more wide-spread.
The X-Prize started nothing less than a revolution in the development of new thinking on going into outer space, and now it’s back. With the X-Prize Foundation’s third contest, it aims to push vehicle efficiency as far as it’s ever gone. Imagine a world where cars can go 100 miles on each gallon of gasoline (or its equivalent). This prize wants to make this sweet place a reality, and they are offering $10 million to the company that can do it best. That amount may seem like a lot, but it’s a small price to pay for the benefit of filling up once a month to go the same amount of miles that you go today on multiple stops at the “convienience” station.
There are some great things going on behind the scenes with the 90 plus companies that want to win this prize, and we are going to look at a few so that you can form an opinion.
Aptera-Three wheelers that are classified as motorcycles. Both hybrid and electric (100-130 MPG).
FuelVapor Technologies-Another trike, but this one runs on fumes…literally (92 MPG).
MDI/Zero Pollution-This car runs on, get this, air. Compressed air pushes this car and a secondary fuel makes sure that you get over 100 MPG.
Tesla-You know these guys, they’re the ones that are into building electric vehicles. Pretty popular with the press.
Venture Vehicles-Zip around on three wheels from Venture and expect 100 MPG from either an electric or hybrid system.
Zap-This company already sells a bunch of cars. They’re worth a look if you have the time.
As great as all of this is, we can’t let it make us complacent. Even if new fuel efficiencies take us to places we’ve never been before, and even if we’re saving gallons and money, we still have to keep innovating for the future because the problem hasn’t been solved.
We were hit hard by something that we read over at Popular Mechanics. In a writeup by Mythbusters’ Adam Savage, he cites that by 2010, Asia will have 90% of the world’s Ph.D. scientists and engineers. Now, we understand that Asia represents a huge chunk of the world population, but isn’t America the contemporary vanguard of science and technology? Don’t we have the best university system in the world? Aren’t we the number one economic power?
The decline of science and technology must have something to do with a shift in priorities, and it is a sad state of affairs. Not long ago, the USA was fighting tooth and nail to win the space race. Tons of kids were inspired to become the next great minds of society, helping the cause in any way that they could. Perhaps that is the problem. Perhaps we’re missing that spark, that grand inspiration. Maybe it’s their early education system that scares children away from math and science.
Whatever the case may be, we need emphasis, action, and determination. How do we make this a priority? How do we get each other interested in continuing to cultivate the skills that are necessary to stay on top? The writers on this site have nothing against Asia and believe that in the end we are indeed a global community, but can you really see a world where we are not #1?
Here’s a term you should know: Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). These power systems create electricity by using the heat deep below the Earth’s surface. The government and Google.org (a great outfit) showed their support for this young technology by throwing a combined $100 million at it, and while that initial investment is only the beginning of what is needed, it shows that the technology is getting some much needed attention.
Perhaps a better explanation:
EGS is a baseload resource, meaning that unlike wind or solar power, it will operate all day/all year whether the sun is shining or the wind is blowing. Another advantage is that this type of power is essentially engineered into a closed system where the water used to run the turbines is recycled. Sounds game changing, huh.
Well as great as Enhanced Geothermal is, it is still a long way from large-scale, commercial deployment. It is reassuring to know, however, that we have money and brainpower flowing into these projects. And the combination of these renewable resources is the only way we can count on a bright future. A future where EGS counts on one of our oldest constants, Mother Earth.
Looking for a little bit of pick-me-up? Ever heard of the Ted conference? If you love learning and being inspired through video, then Ted and its presentations are a sure bet for enrichment. Some of the brightest minds in every field have spoken at the conference and it has been published for all to see. If you want a little taste of what I’m talking about try these two to start with (two of my favorites):
These videos can be extremely addictive, so be careful. You could literally spend hours at the computer soaking this stuff in, and it’ll take weeks to make a dent in all of the content. If you are anything like I am you’ll take at least one great thing away from it.
