Energy 2
Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 5:38 pm
ENERGY –2
So we have a planet full of energy seeking inhabitants. Formerly this demand was supplied by wood and wind and water mills. But with the advent of gas and particularly oil and electricity, the demand for energy is soon going to outstrip the supply.
These days, practically every function of our daily lives depends on electricity.
The production of this commodity in large scale capacity used to depend on heat supplied by coal, gas, or nuclear power. Because of co2 emissions and climate change, there has been a shift to wind and water sources.
The disadvantage of heat as a source of electricity was that the raw materials produced a lot of co2, or had noxious waste which is difficult to dispose of. Also, as one of the prime uses of electricity is to provide heat, it seems a roundabout step to convert the heat into electricity, and then turn it back into heat—except that the distribution of the energy is a lot simpler, and that it can also be used for cooling.
So, given the finite sources for producing energy which have so far been exploited on the Earth’s surface or just underneath it, and have contributed somewhat to it’s problems, surely it makes sense to invest in some investigation into alternative sources. Given that heat can produce electricity and electricity can supply the lion’s share of energy demands, there are two sources of heat that have never been exploited.
Daily, in the sky, if there are not too many clouds about, a small bright object about the size of a 2 pence piece can be observed. The sun radiates it’s heat and light in all directions and as we are but an infinitismal speck in one direction, our benefit from it’s existence, is hardly measurable from it’s output. As anyone who has stood near a bonfire will be aware, there is a fair degree of radiant heat to be felt in it’s vicinity, but considering that the sun is 93 million miles away, it is some measure of it’s power that the same effect can be felt here.
Also, anyone who has a conservatory, will be aware that providing a glassed –in space can increase the temperature rise inside, quite considerably—usually to the extent that some of the heat has to be vented outside, to make the temperature bearable.
Now there are large tracts of land on the surface of the planet (we call them deserts), Sahara and Kalahari spring to mind, where the sun beats relentlessly every day, and they are arid and relatively uninhabited to boot, where the heat produced by the sun could be harnessed, productively without upsetting the ecological balance. And if glass were needed to enhance the heat, I understand that the principal constituent of glass is sand.
Just as an afterthought, Saudi Arabia, and neighbouring states could cash in on this after the oil runs out.
All this assumes that the heat is converted into electricity for onward consumption, but if man’s ingenuity could devise some means of storing heat, into a re-usable form, and miniaturise it the same way as computers, mobile phones, and other electronic gadgets have developed, then we could reach the stage where heat from the sun could be condensed into the size of an AAA battery, and provide outlet heating to a house for several days, or alternatively stored into improved electric batteries, and do the same thing for air conditioning—all this apart from producing ordinary everyday electricity.
Now, having had a visionary look on the possibilities available from the sun, there is another untapped source of energy closer to home. The core of the earth is a hotmolten magma, and the fact that it can show it’s face occasionally in volcanic eruptions shows that it is not all that far down. Here, then is an untapped source, which we could call on, with a bit of innovative technology.
These random thoughts , could be enhanced on, or shot down by the reader.
So we have a planet full of energy seeking inhabitants. Formerly this demand was supplied by wood and wind and water mills. But with the advent of gas and particularly oil and electricity, the demand for energy is soon going to outstrip the supply.
These days, practically every function of our daily lives depends on electricity.
The production of this commodity in large scale capacity used to depend on heat supplied by coal, gas, or nuclear power. Because of co2 emissions and climate change, there has been a shift to wind and water sources.
The disadvantage of heat as a source of electricity was that the raw materials produced a lot of co2, or had noxious waste which is difficult to dispose of. Also, as one of the prime uses of electricity is to provide heat, it seems a roundabout step to convert the heat into electricity, and then turn it back into heat—except that the distribution of the energy is a lot simpler, and that it can also be used for cooling.
So, given the finite sources for producing energy which have so far been exploited on the Earth’s surface or just underneath it, and have contributed somewhat to it’s problems, surely it makes sense to invest in some investigation into alternative sources. Given that heat can produce electricity and electricity can supply the lion’s share of energy demands, there are two sources of heat that have never been exploited.
Daily, in the sky, if there are not too many clouds about, a small bright object about the size of a 2 pence piece can be observed. The sun radiates it’s heat and light in all directions and as we are but an infinitismal speck in one direction, our benefit from it’s existence, is hardly measurable from it’s output. As anyone who has stood near a bonfire will be aware, there is a fair degree of radiant heat to be felt in it’s vicinity, but considering that the sun is 93 million miles away, it is some measure of it’s power that the same effect can be felt here.
Also, anyone who has a conservatory, will be aware that providing a glassed –in space can increase the temperature rise inside, quite considerably—usually to the extent that some of the heat has to be vented outside, to make the temperature bearable.
Now there are large tracts of land on the surface of the planet (we call them deserts), Sahara and Kalahari spring to mind, where the sun beats relentlessly every day, and they are arid and relatively uninhabited to boot, where the heat produced by the sun could be harnessed, productively without upsetting the ecological balance. And if glass were needed to enhance the heat, I understand that the principal constituent of glass is sand.
Just as an afterthought, Saudi Arabia, and neighbouring states could cash in on this after the oil runs out.
All this assumes that the heat is converted into electricity for onward consumption, but if man’s ingenuity could devise some means of storing heat, into a re-usable form, and miniaturise it the same way as computers, mobile phones, and other electronic gadgets have developed, then we could reach the stage where heat from the sun could be condensed into the size of an AAA battery, and provide outlet heating to a house for several days, or alternatively stored into improved electric batteries, and do the same thing for air conditioning—all this apart from producing ordinary everyday electricity.
Now, having had a visionary look on the possibilities available from the sun, there is another untapped source of energy closer to home. The core of the earth is a hotmolten magma, and the fact that it can show it’s face occasionally in volcanic eruptions shows that it is not all that far down. Here, then is an untapped source, which we could call on, with a bit of innovative technology.
These random thoughts , could be enhanced on, or shot down by the reader.