28-09-2016, 02:50 PM
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The Earth is in trouble,and it’s definitely our fault.It seems clear at this point that traditional methods of generating electricity are unsustainable,and we must find new energy sources that do not produce as much carbon(or dust off old ones,like natural gas and nuclear power
The lateral ways of generating electricity are:
1.Solar power in space
2.On the Dance Floor
3.Thorium reactors
4.Harvesting body heat
5.Solar wind
6.Jellyfish
SOLAR POWER IN SPACE
What could be more exciting or futuristic than a massive solar array,floating on a platform above the planet,beaming wireless electricity towards the Earth surface.
There are a lot of advantages to this option :
1.No need to take up valuable real estate on the Earth.
2. No energy fluctuations caused by weather
Wireless electricity transmission ,long term radiation shielding,meteorite protection and the sheer cost of putting the In practice the space solar power project might work something like this
1. A large geostationary array would collect and focus light from the Sun
2.Photo-voltaic cells would convert that light into electricity
3. That electricity would be used to power a microwave laser, aimed towards a ground station on Earth.
4.Microwave energy would be received by the antenna array and converted back into electricity
ON THE DANCE FLOOR
More people power,please!
The Kinetic energy generated by our everyday tasks is under spotlight as underground stations,night clubs and gyms begin to utilise piezoelectric harvesting technologies.Piezoelectricity is generated in certain crystals in response to compression force.If you have a surface that’s moving for any reason,you can attach piezoelectric crystals to it,and get small amounts of energy out.
The accumulated electrical energy can be used to power services within the same building or area,or routed to a new location.
THORIUM REACTORS:
Miniature nuclear reactors powered by just one ton of radioactive thorium could feature in a new generation of local power generation schemes.That said,thorium reactors would require high-energy neutrons to trigger there fissile activity,which has lead British scientists to begin work on miniature particle accelerators
HARVESTING BODY HEAT:
A number of major cities have begun harvesting the heat trapped in their vast metro systems.Millions of commuters(not to mention the trains themselves)sealed in the insulated environment of the metro can lead to an enormous temperature differential.
The 2.5 million square-foot shopping mecca,Mall of America ,already utilises the heat generated by the sheer volume of people passing through it.This heat combats the usually harsh minnesotan winter-so much so that the building has no traditional central heating system.
Innovative thinking for the designers,way back in the early 90s.
SOLAR WIND:
While we are on the subject of space,let’s talk about solar wind.
The solar wind consists of an enormous number of charged particles,emitted by the sun at very high speeds.In principle,these particles can be used to generate electricity by using an enormous solar sail and a charged wire,which generates energy from the solar wind passing along it.
JELLYFISH:
Our oceans are becoming more acidic.As such,Jellyfish populations are soaring.Most of them aren’t for human consumption,but they may prove to be more useful for another global issue.
Swedish researchers have been steadily liquifying large numbers of Aequorea victoria,a glowing jellyfish common to the shores of North America.