Alternative Energy - Part Deux

I just ran across a great article about a light that is powered by gravity.  I know, I know it sounds a little crazy but hear me out.  First of all here is the link.  Basically, you walk into the room and instead of hitting a light switch (or reaching around blindly under the lamp shade like I do) you raise a weight from bottom to top of the lamp.  Over time, the weight lowers itself via gravity and in doing so generates a small amount of wattage necessary to produce light.  There is no power cord!  Now, as my wife so eloquently pointed out to me (IT'S UGLY!), the current design of said light leaves much to be desired and you'll definitely have a tough time matching this bit of furniture with a new couch and drapes, but the CONCEPT is what has me all geeked out.

Now, as I admitted in my previous post I am NOT an engineer nor do I profess great knowledge regarding power systems and the generation of electricity.  But in my simplistic view it seems that there are two types of energy: active and stored.  Active energy is all around us.  It's the wind blowing through the trees, it's the sun striking our faces, it's the water flowing down a river, it's the tides coming in, etc, etc.  The problem with active energy is that it's not always "active".  The sun obviously doesn't shine at night, rainfall levels impact the flows of rivers, the tides ebb and flow.

That brings us to "stored" energy.  A common example that comes immediately to anyone's mind is batteries.  But also open your mind to other forms of stored energy, the water in a lake behind a dam for example can be thought of as stored.  The movement of the weight in the lamp mentioned above makes stored energy in that the weight will be brought down over time by gravity.  I seem to remember from my physics classes the official term is "potential".  Now, we had to use some of our "active" energy in order for this to happen (by raising the weight from the bottom to the top), but our active energy was stored and is then used over time - I think I read that the light burns for approximately four hours.

So here's the idea and it certainly is not original.  Take active energy, say solar energy and figure out a way to store it so you can use it anytime.  A great example in the hydroelectric field is the idea of pumping water back from the river below to the lake above during off-peak hours when energy is cheap (I would prefer to use something like solar or wind power to do this, but that's not the case currently for a variety of rea$on$).  What happens is that you use the active energy while it's there (sun is shining, wind is blowing, tide is ebbing) and then store it until such time that you need it.

Now the storage issue is one that has confounded us for a while.  Batteries just need a lot of work before things like the electric car become a reality.  But for non-mobile applications it seems there are a variety of methods.  The weight method used by the light mentioned here could be taken up to a grander scale.  What if solar, wind or tidal energy was used to "raise the weight" during the day when most of us are at work and then a generator attached to the weight "falling" during the morning/evening when the power was used or when the other energy sources just weren't available.

I understand that in batteries the "holy grail" would be to store 100 megawatts of energy for an amount of time and then get back the full 100 megawatts.  Alas, physics, the element of friction, etc prevent this from happening.  BUT it seems to me that even re-couping 50-75 percent of this stored energy would be plenty to run a household.

That would be a great goal someday, to get myself and my family "off the grid".  It would even be better to be off the grid and maybe adding a little back.

I have two challenges there.  One, my wife.  She's just not going to let me put solar cells all over the roof of our home not is she probably going to be keen on the idea of a giant weight in the back yard that goes up and down.  Secondly, the engineering aspects of this are daunting.  To my knowledge there are no commercial firms that offer systems like this in my area.  I have heard of companies in the southwest (Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, etc), basically areas with an overabundance of sunshine that offer this for homes but the systems are very, very expensive and their TCO prohibitive based on the money that comes back.  I have not heard of any company during any form of hydroelectric research for such a small scale.

Anyone out there have any ideas on this?  It seems to me if you could keep the TCO low and the over time savings obvious (say the system pays for itself after 3 years and everything after that is pure profit) it would be a no-brainer sell to any new construction in certain areas...

Ultimate Fun Stuff - Alternative Energy

You know I've said for years the biggest challenge facing Americans today is the energy "squeeze".  Please notice that I did not use the word "crisis", nor did I use the word "shortage" or any other euphemism for FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt).  Unlike the mainstream media, that's not my gig.

Alternative energy HAS fascinated me for years though.  Another disclaimer, I am not an engineer nor do I claim to be, but that actually might be a good thing.  See I'm not limited by an engineers view on things and I tend to dream big.

For example, there's a great little company out there called "Ausra".  If you check out the link on their front page they claim that all of the electrical energy needs of the country could be provided by a 92 x 92 mile square patch of desert populated by their solar power energy solution.  WOW.  Now I'm also not one to jump the gun of what (obviously) is a nice piece of Internet marketing, but even if something close to this is true the implication are mind boggling.

Think of this on a state by state basis.  Take Georgia for example (my home state) and let's say that Georgia only needs 2-7% of that capacity.  Take a 13 x 13 mile square (or several squares scattered around the state equivalent to that area), augment with the several hydroelectric facilities and nuclear facilities in the state and viola!  All the power we need.  Add more capabilities for electric cars (and make electric vehicles more economical for the average consumer) and we could make a significant dent in our dependency on foreign oil.

What?

What did he just say?

Reduce dramatically our dependency on foreign oil?  Now, that my friends would have a significant impact on EVERYTHING.

Let's see, first of all the United States could scale back their support of oppressive regimes.

What?  The United States does not "support" oppressive regimes, we sanction and/or invade them and spread FREEDOM throughout the world!  Right?

Not so fast my friend.

Parade Magazine each year publishes a list of "The World's Worst Dictators".  It's actually one of the few articles they publish that I read from beginning to end each year.  So, who's on the list?  (I mean c'mon Bryan like I have enough time/energy to click on the link you've provided above)  Well, coming in at #4 is one of our only "friends" in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia.  Ranked as one of the worst country's in the treatment of women.  For example, did you know that a woman must attain approval from a male member of her family before asking for/obtaining healthcare?  Household accident?  Trip down some stairs, cut yourself with some scissors?  Gotta wait until a male member of the household get home before calling 911 or going to the emergency room...  (This is 2008, right?)

Coming in at #5, got most favored trading status again last year and the maker of most items in your household, China!  Home of this year's Olympics!  Free speech?  Yeah, right.  The world does not care.  Just fill up all of the Wal Marts and Targets with cheap goods and we'll look the other way on the work camps, torture and general oppression.

And lastly, but not least coming in at #8 our best "friend" in the "war on terror" President Musharraf and Pakistan.  Man, talk about letting the fox guard the henhouse.

Back on topic...

Secondly, Americans would no longer need to burn fuels for energy thus significantly cutting down on air pollution.  Granted we would still need to use petroleum for much industrialized production and for things like air travel, but taking the internal combustion engine off America's roadways would be a truly great thing.  (Now, if I could only afford a Tesla car...)

Also, we would not be limited in any way shape or form by boats crossing oceans filled with hazardous material.  Talk about an endless potential for growth!

If Americans can, in fact, take on the challenge and revamp our energy needs and break our dependency on foreign oil we could potentially change the geopolitical map worldwide.  We would no longer be wary of challenging democratic reform in Saudi Arabia.  We could actually be "tough" and probably win the war on terror.  We could preserve areas in Alaska that the current administration has earmarked for drilling.

It is embarrassing to be a human being in the 21st century living in the industrialized world and to think that my energy needs are dependent upon burning black stuff that comes from the ground.  There's got to be a better way and we owe it to ourselves and future generations to do the "hard work" now and find it.

Next up, my ideas on potential limitless forms of energy (NOT just solar).