On New Sources of Energy?

Commentary Comments (1)

The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just. -Abraham Lincoln

Attentive readers note this is my first question mark. But first a critique:

You know what would be a good place for solar panels? A desert. Just ignore the fact you have to go 50 miles in either direction for water. My point? the energy crisis is creating great opportunities, for lots of mistakes. We already know that producing ethanol takes more energy than in produces.

Want another bit of sillyness? To solve alleviate the power problem in California, Souther California Edison company is planning to build distributed solar arrays on the rooftops of commercial buildings thought southern california. All of this is estimated to generate about 250 Megawatts (a small powerplant).  Is it a wonderful use of technology? Yes; Except for the earthquakes. There is no reason rush into full production unproven technology because one needs to solve a problem.

First off, not doing something because it cost money is how we got into this mess, so that is not what the article is advocating. This posts point is America needs to stop throwing money at “new ways to solve old ideas” as if  the new idea is going to solve the global problem of a lack of Energy. Now, we’re rather sure in some lab somewhere many people are trying to solve the problem; whenever that ever happens.

The problem isn’t trying to overcome the laws of conservation of energy, the problem is thinking coal and oil will be around forever. Using other sources to drive the same engines are also a bad idea. Nuclear reactions leave horrible wastes (especially fission), and fusion is …works better on an interplanetary scale at the moment [aka the Sun], not to mention the radiation leakages. The problem is what we use for engines, or to generate electricity which we have deemed the energy of life. [Visible light is actually one of the energies of earthly life.]

The Internal Combustion Engine’s time has come. It needs to be redesigned. New physics need to be applied. We cannot keep putting an explosive substance into a combustion chamber and using the heat to drive a generator for power.

Most if not all our engines or motors work on friction basis, meaning we push air or water or work with or against air to maneuver the craft. In Space, rocket power is what is used to move crafts around, or puffs of compressed substances in jets.

Rocket power also known as “stuffing tons of liquid or gasses fuel into a chamber and burning it off like a roman candle” doesn’t seem to be the answer for space travel and definitely not to take the kids to McDonalds. Can you imagine pumping your own liquid oxygen? Pumping gas is hectic enough.

The Hybrid Engine is a first -Weak- step; but it’s a step. At this point your throwing up your hands asking “what then?! ” do i expect warp engines? well.. yes. The technology needed to escape this present problem will not emerge until we hit a crisis. Personally speaking, the holy grail is in magnetism and/or gravity. The greatest force in the universe and responsible for the tides, the earth itself and even the shape of the universe.

But for all that, we still just also need a better motor. Maybe, not a motor, maybe just an engine.

Thane Heins using the aforementioned forces, has created a machine which seems to defy the current acceptable laws of physics. I say currently acceptable because we know so little. The tendency however is to dismiss things like his invention and return to the old ways. We propose this instead: Even if it doesn’t work as we think it should, it may be a clue that somethings are not as we say they are, and we need to think differently to be different.

Gather up the Article here and get excited.  I am a healthy skeptic but i so want to dream.  Dream with me.

OceansOfThought @ March 28, 2008