5 Sources of Alternative Energy You May Not Have Heard Of
February 4, 2010 by Miranda Marquit
Could the mining moon provide a source of energy for Earth?
(PhysOrg.com) -- As fossil fuels increasingly fall out of favor, many are looking into alternative energy sources to help us power our lives with a smaller impact on the environment. You already know about solar power and wind energy, and hydro-electric power and nuclear power have been around for decades. But scientists are increasingly looking to the natural world for additional solutions.
Here are 5 alternative energy sources that you may hearing more of soon:
• Helioculture: The idea is to create hydrocarbons with a little help from the sun. Brackish water is combined with photosynthetic organisms, nutrients and carbon dioxide and left in the sun. This process results in hydrocarbons that are ready for use a fuel -- not refining necessary.
• Sewage: Our waste can...reduce waste. Using microbial fuel cells, sewage can be used in bio-electrochemical systems to create power. In fact, Norway has plans to begin using human waste to power the buses in Oslo.
• Evaporation: Apparently, scientists are working on ways to harness the difference in electrical properties that exist between air and water. In order to make this work, a special kind of "leaf" is micro-fabricated. Air bubbles are pumped in, and as the water evaporates, the power is captured. Although it does seem like a lot of work for what might not be too much power...
• Human movement: Could the expanding planetary population actually power itself through movement? There are thoughts that piezoelectricity could be generated with the use of special tiles placed in strategic places where people walk. These tiles would be made out of materials that generate energy in response to mechanical stress applied on them. As people walked to the bus, or jogged in the park, their pressure on these tiles could produce power.
• Moon: For some time, scientists have considered ways to produce Helium-3, which is a non-radioactive possibility for mostly clean energy. However, creating He-3 on earth is a real pain. However, our near neighbor, the moon, has this light isotope in abundance. Could we see mines on the moon, working to tap into this source of possible energy? Maybe. One Russian company, RKK Energiya, thinks that moon mining for Helium-3 could be a possibility by 2020.
It is clear that we do need to start using our innovation to look for alternative sources of energy. It will be interesting to see which (if any) of these alternative energy sources actually become viable.
More information: Mother Nature Network: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/energy/photos/10-unconventional-alternative-energy-sources-youve-never-heard-3#image
© 2010 PhysOrg.com
4 hours ago
Several countries talk about beaming solar energy from space-based arrays. Could we convert Helium-3 into energy and beam it from the moon to the earth? Would save a lot of transportation costs
I can hear it now...(translated into English)
Nick - "I am out of fuel"
Kjell - "Well CRAP!"
Nick - "I'm out of that too!!!"
With WHOM, pray tell? Socialist retreads with pockets full of cooked data don't really count, do they?
Why don't we leave politics to politicians and focus on the science.
Also, the radioactive source needs to be incorporated into the device to prevent absorption of the beta energy. That means building the waste into the battery? Not sure how that could be done. Unless you have some ideas.
http://www.youtub...sD6TuhHU
You need to use a tiny bit more energy with every step, would it add up to anything sizeable over the course of a day?
Finally, I see nothing wrong with wanting energy independence, either from Big Oil or coal or nuclear fission. Why would you want to be dependent on Big Oil, or anyone else, for your energy? I'm assuming that you must be a conservative based on your comments so shouldn't you be screaming for (energy) independence too?
Only one I see viable is sewage (be it from humans, pigs, cities throwing useable nutritients to rivers+pickup near/at sea).
This article was written 3am "last chance to do my promised x words" kind of thing ?
http://www.crossf...iew.html
Hydrogen-Lithium Compopund for vehicles/aircraft etc and Nuclear Fusion and Biogas (from sewage) for industry would get rid of our power problems.