I was wanting to do a little research into the impact that a pseudo perpetual energy device would have on the world economy. [ a sci fi book in progress] Scenario: A small privately owned company Magnadrive pl has successfully developed a mass producable pseudo perpetual energy device, they have a global patent and are about to licence it's production globally for a small royalty of 5%. The device is able to produce the output without adding energy to it. In other words it is fully self contained. It is capable of replaceing all forms of rotational energy devices currently in use at a relative rate of only 20% of current cost. And is essentially maintenance free. The cost of manufacturing and assembly is similar to the cost of building an electric motor/generator. Suffice to say the cost of production is so minor it is almost neglibible. The immediate ramifications are: Coal fired and nuclear fired generators are obsolete. Cars no longer require petrol or distilate. and so on..... The question is: What do you think would be the ramifications to the worlds economy if a pseudo perpetual energy device was cheap to produce and feasable? How would it effect the individual globally? Is there a down side? say for example we look beyond the transition phase and speculate on a world 30 years after invention. How would the worlds economy look? Care to discuss? Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Will Magnadrive ever sell the patent? Can Magnadrive be effectively taken over through legislation? I cannot see the 'powers that be' letting a single privately owned company own the rights to such an amazing device. Economies are lost and won on the back of that economies access to energy sources. Surely the governments would just 'rule' in favour of the people and make such a device 'public property' which of course they manage as 'governers'. In short I dont think anything would change economically speaking. Same man different hat so to speak. peace c20
The price would not be cheap, even if it was cheap to produce. The price would reflect the value it represents to the consumer. So, it would be very expensive. Most people would have to take out a loan to buy it, so it would resemble buying a house or car. Poor people would have to rent it. The company that holds the patent would see huge profits, and would probably have a great influence in government. The middle east would cease to be a concern of the world powers, the atmosphere would clean up thereby increasing the effects of global warming temporarily by letting more sunlight through. What is the scale of the unit? Would it replace a power plant? ...or would it be on the scale of a home generator?
If it were simple, people would start building their own to avoid the high price, then energy would no longer be such a problem. If it produces electricity, then there would be a rise in electric cars, and electric devices of all sorts.
If it is easily manufactured and is licensed to anyone who wants to produce it, the device will be cheap because there will be competition. If there is no way for the large corporations to monopolize it, that is.
MagnaDrive PL is not silly enough to think that the license is perpetual. Knowing that eventually the physics of the devise will eventually become common text book stuff. They will relinquish their patent to the world after 10 years. or after they secure a minimum billion dollars or two. [ which ever comes first] on the proviso that no simgle corporation will hold a monopoly. The question though is more about the dynamics of the world economy. What does it mean to the man on the street? He would obviously have more disposable income.....as his energy cost fall dramatically. He would obviously have a cleaner environment to live in. Airfares would be considerably cheaper so he would travel more. As capital costs are greatly reduced the cost of energy would itself be virtually zero. For example the device would do away with batteries used in portable devices. So say good bye to the battery industry. Every home would have it's own electrical generator so say good bye to black outs and the heavy costs of maintaining infrastructure. Say for example that the cost of a 20 square 3 bedroom home power planet was the equivilent to the cost of an average sized domestic refrigerator. However as one industry becomes obsolete other industries will arise.
Interesting plot. Is MagnaDrive a US company trying for an initial patent in the US? Because the Pentagon has the right to classify any patent that is of military import. Theoretically the patent applicant is financially compensated. Actually, I seem to recall a similar subplot in some other scifi I read. Don't recall the title. It touched upon a devasted petrochemical industry in collapse. Federal subsidies, bailouts, laws requiring the use of plastics in products if at all possible, that sort of thing.
Nope Magna drives owners are not silly enough to be a USA based company. They have established their business in a small tax haven. In the Caribbean. A little plotting of the device itself: It is a extremely low pressure vacuum vessel with an inner space that is a ratio of 1:6 in that the space inside the chamber is 6 times the volume that the chamber appears from the outside. To dismantle the device for reverse engineering purposes would render the device unable to be understood as it's function requires this spacial expansion. [It was created in a expanded space environment.] So no one can discover it's workings as to do so is rendered futile by it's very nature. The patent is actually a bit of a ruse to achieve global recognition. A working device is lodged as part of the patent. Magnadrive drive holds the technology very protectively until the 10 years is up or money situation is clarified. [ btw I do need to strengthen the plot logic of course] MagnaDrive is also working on gravity devices which are also an extension of the same technology. The company is totally transperant in it's endevours. But has already the technology to protect it's interests from envious onlookers. In the plot so far the Island that supports the company is totally secure from any military approach including nuclear. It's primary motivation is to provide real benefit to the world with it's breakthrough technology. But it is aware that such breakthoughs will cause certain concerns globally. So it has assumed a defensive posture knowing full well how crazy some governments can become. [ In the plot it is speculated but not confirmed that a source of Alien inspiration has promoted such technological advance] Instead of taking the aggressive power trip that most novellia seem to promote, I am attempting to explore how even a benign entity such as MagnaDrive can create certain harmful instabilities in world affairs. A "Too good to be true" type connundrum.
I am working on an idea that the petro chemical sector be given a right to produce the device as a way of compensation for loosing their market. Divert their resources to production of the device instead thus maintaining an ability to make money and stay in the energy business. But I see the biggest problem being a monopoly. Funnilly enough MagnaDrive is that monopoly attempting to divest itself of that monopoly in a way that minimised global instability. This is essentially the motivation behind the thead. In abstraction: How to bring to the world this type of technology with the minimum of instability? Maybe it would just as easy to just publish the designs on the internet and let the market find it's own balance. any way just an idea...
thirty years down the road from a net positive energy device, the world would already start warming up. this would be global warming on a sub-decade scale. unlimited free energy (i'm assuming that this at least would take place in the present onward, so global availability is simple) would heat the world up so quickly that massive environmental change would be emminent in mere decades, especially if the device is cheap, like less than an economy car.
actually I mused over this notion some time again and I think you for bringing it up. True, free energy would possibly lead to greater heat creation. Caused by lights being left on and heaters kept running etc.....valid point but is it enough to avoid the new device? The notion of economical use of energy becomes strained as due to it's lack of cost may mean we would become apathetic to it's use....hmmmm......thanks.... interesting slant
But if people care to, they can use the free energy device to power systems that actually remove heat from the planet. Not necessarily giant devices but individual devices that collect heat and radiate it into space, like air conditioners but built a little different.
