Power Plants

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I agree that current technologies are both destructive and non-sustainable, however the dream of implementing newer technology overnight is just that, a dream. Unfortunately, the comprehensive procedure for creating a sustainable energy infrastructure will most likely involve a variety of existing technologies including coal and standard nuclear reactors.

The problem, however, is not technological but rather political and economic. There are even religious factors at play in the governments of some of the world's leading energy producers.

I was discussing exactly this with my wife last night: the technology we need to achieve the G8 goal of reducing our Carbon emission by 50% already exists, there are simply too many political (read Corporate) barriers to their implementation.

I propose a new plan involving delivery of pure energy instead of fuel to the end user in the form of simple electricity. Why should every vehicle, for example, carry its own power plant and associated fuel tank with it down the road?! Wouldn't it make more sense to combine the future electrical grid with the future highway infrastructure to provide direct electrical energy to vehicles?

Theory suggests that such a plan would reduce the energy consumption significantly, even if we simply remove the fuel and exhaust systems from vehicles. Factor in the increased efficiency of such a system and the benefits are hard to deny.

Two technological barriers exist to the "current" (read circa 1900) electric car design: motor power and most importantly battery capacity. The limited range was an important consideration for Henry Ford when he designed the Model T, as utilizing electrical power was a possible scenario at the time. Also gas was extremely cheap, so why not burn it?

It made perfect sense at the time.

But what about external propulsion? Why must a vehicle even utilize an engine and transmission in the transfer of energy to the road in providing acceleration. Could not the "road" itself provide that acceleration energy?

NASA has worked with electromagnetic launch systems for space craft proposed for a theoretical Lunar base, providing the acceleration for reaching escape velocity. This significantly reduces the fuel needs, and thus the mass of the proposed spacecraft.

So why are we hauling around 15-20 gallons of gasoline everywhere we go?

I know, this may sound like a crazy idea and there are many hurdles we would need to overcome in order to make it work. In fact it may not work at all, but we would never know unless the research was done.

Here's my plan: our current (US) highway system and electrical grid are both desperately obsolete. The vulnerability of the California grid to attack by corrupt Enron officials and the collapse of the bridge in Minnesota demonstrate exactly that. So why not build both of them at the same time?

Bury the lines and build them with hundreds of times the current capacity to virtually eliminate (though not completely) our current energy needs for long-distance travel. The benefits to freight alone would be enormous - and without a doubt this would have a beneficial effect on world food prices, poverty, and consequently social unrest, terrorism and so on. National Security is affected by food and energy prices. Fix all three at the same time!

And all of this would be driven by our power plants: Solar ideally, Nuclear and Coal primarily, and Wind and other renewables supplementally.

Imagine trucks hurtling towards their destinations without burning an ounce of Diesel fuel for 90% or more of their journey.

Cars, too, could take advantage of the system. Enter the highway from your local street and allow the electromagnetic energy of the national Energy System to carry you to your destination at currently unimaginable speeds.

Why are highways limited to 60, 70 or 75 mph speed limits? Safety is one issue, but it's mainly energy. Internal combustion cannot sustain higher speeds efficiently. Electricity can.

Imagine sitting in your car traveling at 400 mph. Why fly?!

Considering all of this, our current energy infrastructure seems like the Dark Ages. One day we may look back on the 20th and 21st centuries as comedies of error, much like Medieval Times.

 

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Those are some seriously low powered power plants. Only 19,700 mW? (milliwatts) that's only 19.7 watts. Hope they have candles. Unless notation varies around the world, I was taught "m" is for milli, and "M" is for mega.

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Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

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Check out THIS power plant!!!

 

LOL, ya think?