Borrowing from the Future
The answer to the energy crisis lies in alternative forms of energy. It’s not a new idea; in fact, I’ve been shouting it to anyone who would listen for years! The problem is no one is listening. We’ve all become conditioned to accept that things will never change and the oil companies and OPEC have us right where they want us!
Well folks, welcome to the 21st century.
Things don’t have to be this way. We do not have to rely strictly on fossil fuels to handle our energy needs, and the sooner we get past the idea that we do, the better off we’ll be.
The technology for fuel cells has been known since 1889. The only question is why we waited until 2003 (almost 100 years) to begin researching it. Hmmm... I wonder...
Hydrogen fuel cells are non-combustion, pollution-free, have no moving parts, operate in near-complete silence, and have a 99.9999% reliability rating. While the technology is still in its infancy and there are problems to be resolved, they are not insurmountable, and the future of energy may well lie with a simple device that runs on hydrogen and emits only water as waste.
Solar power may never serve as a source of vehicular power, but there are buildings that run entirely on solar power, providing all the electricity they need to function. At night and on cloudy days, the system is powered by batteries, which store the excess generated during the day. The setup fee is expensive, but considering you get free electricity thereafter, it’s a fair trade. And lest you think you’ll be lacking; these houses are not only attractive and roomy, but they offer all the creature comforts.
Wind power has been used since the first century AD. It is plentiful, renewable, widely-distributed, completely clean, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, the only problem with wind energy is when the wind doesn’t blow, but coupled with other non-polluting, renewable power sources, it can serve as an efficient method of lessening the drain on batteries. Denmark generates nearly one-fifth of its electricity-for the entire country-with wind turbines.
But the key to a completely pollution-free, reliable, and cheap energy source may well be... everyone say it with me... fusion. Fusion occurs when two atoms are fused together. The major difference between fission (the existing manner of creating nuclear power) and fusion is that fusion produces no high-level radioactive wastes, and because of the manner in which it is achieved, there is no risk of a runaway reaction. Even if an accident should occur, the precisely-controlled conditions of temperature, pressure, and magnetic field make it very unlikely that a reaction would get out of hand.
Oh, and if we were to generate fusion using deuterium obtained from sea water, we have a ready supply for 150 billion years. For comparison, it is expected that the sun will attain red-giant stage in about 5 billion years, taking the Earth with it. In other words, this is an unlimited supply of fuel.
Of course, there are problems with fusion as an energy source, but research is being performed and we’re learning more every day.
Remember the DeLorean from Back to the Future, the one powered by the mini-fusion reactor that ran on garbage? Well, that might remain firmly in the realm of science-fiction, but cold fusion could become a reality. Cold fusion produces a fusion reaction at standard temperatures and pressures, without the needs for magnetic fields, containment units, and specialized equipment. All we need is research.
There is an old adage that says, "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."
What we will return to them, I wonder?
Well folks, welcome to the 21st century.
Things don’t have to be this way. We do not have to rely strictly on fossil fuels to handle our energy needs, and the sooner we get past the idea that we do, the better off we’ll be.
The technology for fuel cells has been known since 1889. The only question is why we waited until 2003 (almost 100 years) to begin researching it. Hmmm... I wonder...
Hydrogen fuel cells are non-combustion, pollution-free, have no moving parts, operate in near-complete silence, and have a 99.9999% reliability rating. While the technology is still in its infancy and there are problems to be resolved, they are not insurmountable, and the future of energy may well lie with a simple device that runs on hydrogen and emits only water as waste.
Solar power may never serve as a source of vehicular power, but there are buildings that run entirely on solar power, providing all the electricity they need to function. At night and on cloudy days, the system is powered by batteries, which store the excess generated during the day. The setup fee is expensive, but considering you get free electricity thereafter, it’s a fair trade. And lest you think you’ll be lacking; these houses are not only attractive and roomy, but they offer all the creature comforts.
Wind power has been used since the first century AD. It is plentiful, renewable, widely-distributed, completely clean, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, the only problem with wind energy is when the wind doesn’t blow, but coupled with other non-polluting, renewable power sources, it can serve as an efficient method of lessening the drain on batteries. Denmark generates nearly one-fifth of its electricity-for the entire country-with wind turbines.
But the key to a completely pollution-free, reliable, and cheap energy source may well be... everyone say it with me... fusion. Fusion occurs when two atoms are fused together. The major difference between fission (the existing manner of creating nuclear power) and fusion is that fusion produces no high-level radioactive wastes, and because of the manner in which it is achieved, there is no risk of a runaway reaction. Even if an accident should occur, the precisely-controlled conditions of temperature, pressure, and magnetic field make it very unlikely that a reaction would get out of hand.
Oh, and if we were to generate fusion using deuterium obtained from sea water, we have a ready supply for 150 billion years. For comparison, it is expected that the sun will attain red-giant stage in about 5 billion years, taking the Earth with it. In other words, this is an unlimited supply of fuel.
Of course, there are problems with fusion as an energy source, but research is being performed and we’re learning more every day.
Remember the DeLorean from Back to the Future, the one powered by the mini-fusion reactor that ran on garbage? Well, that might remain firmly in the realm of science-fiction, but cold fusion could become a reality. Cold fusion produces a fusion reaction at standard temperatures and pressures, without the needs for magnetic fields, containment units, and specialized equipment. All we need is research.
There is an old adage that says, "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."
What we will return to them, I wonder?