The fact is, we are surrounded by energy all of the time. The movements that we make, the air currents (though they may be small) flowing around us, the pull of the moon on the oceans, the movement of the planets, and a quantum sea of energy in which particles are being created and destroyed all of the time. I could list many more examples. The problem is not that there is a shortage of energy; the problem is in our methods of harnessing it. Granted, there are scientists working diligently on these problems but it seems as though most people are still missing the big picture.
Most forms of generating electricity require some regular movement, typically a circular motion such as spinning a turbine. But, the energy that surrounds us is typically not arranged in such a regular pattern. One of the most fascinating developments in energy generation that has come to commercial markets is the Seiko Arctura Kinetic Chronograph. The movements of the body power this watch. It is able to capture the irregular movements of the body and convert them into electricity. Another alternative is to capture electromagnetic energy. We are surrounded by radio waves, even light is a radio wave. Current photovoltaic methods of are very inefficient. But there is another way to capture radio waves in a method called energy harvesting. For instance, crystal radio sets do not use a power source, they are simply powered by the radio wave that excites the antenna for which the crystal set is tuned for. In fact, Nikola Tesla believed that he could transmit electricity through the air instead of using power lines. This was the true purpose of his Wardenclyffe Tower. Had it been completed the world may be a different place. Although, his tower still required a power generation source in order to broadcast the energy the principle still remains. The fact is that we are currently broadcasting megawatts of unused energy into space essentially wasting it.
But beyond the fact that we are inefficient in our use of energy we are still in need of new sources of energy. As I stated before we are surrounded by energy. I believe that in the not so distant future we will gather energy by means other than burning something or boiling water. I’m willing to bet that most people don’t know that nuclear energy actually involves boiling water to spin turbines. Wouldn’t be interesting if we could harness the energy of the radioactive particles without the intermediary of the boiling water? This would put an end to radioactive waste. We could continue to harvest energy as long as radioactivity existed instead of requiring a critical mass to generate heat to boil water. According to quantum physics we are surrounded by a rolling, boiling, active sea of energetic articles all of the time involved in a ceaseless motion of creation and destruction. What if we could capture the energy of this quantum ocean? If this were possible then every device could have its own power plant. The transmission of power over long distances would be unnecessary.
Where am I leading with this and what effect will it have on our future? The point that I am trying to make is that the scientific theories exist. In fact, not all of them are theories but known principles. If more resources were dedicated to the long view instead of the quick fix provided by fossil fuels then it is possible that we could have abundant, clean sources of energy. The movement is already on, but we can do more. Hopefully we will be able to develop these sources of energy before our fossil fuel supplies run out. But, as the saying goes, “Necessity is the mother of invention.”
Related Links:
The
World's Most Advanced Human-Powered Watch Seiko Arctura Kinetic
Chronograph
Devices
might harvest energy from the air
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla#Wardenclyffe
Inside
a Nuclear Power Plant
