Sharon asks…
What is one alternative energy technology that you would like to see become more widespread?
I know we have a lot of alternative energy skeptics in here, but the reality is that point-source energy production using a wide array of energy technologies will be the way of the future. Large scale wind and solar operations are technological nightmares and cost-wise gigantic monstrosities, but wide-spread adoption of small scale usage by individual homeowners has gigantic potential. Also, methane re-uptake technologies for commercial farming operations and water treatment facilities are also likely to become significant contributors to our future energy basket.
What is one alternative energy technology that you would take a serious interest in if it were more cost effective. Also, if you invested in some kind of alternative energy technology, how long of a payback period (recouping of costs through savings on utility bills) do you consider to be reasonable? For the sake of this question let’s assume the unit you purchase will have a 30 year useful lifespan and your total return on investment would be 30/x, where x is your payback period, suggesting an average payback period of six years would imply a 500% total return on investment.
The Expert answers:
Solar has become more efficient. I would like to see conducting and storage technologies improved.
Those 2 elements are the true key to unlocking the alternative energy potentials.
Donald asks…
What is alternative energy and what are some examples?
I need a few examples of alternative energy and what it is.
The Expert answers:
Alternative energy is a term that refers to methods of generating energy that are not the usual method (i.e. Fossil fuels). There are many forms of alternative energy, but, as energy is conserved, you have to ask yourself where the energy comes from (and the answer is always “the sun”). You should always be careful when you look at energy forms, because some of them just won’t work – like the idea of putting water in your gas tank that another user has suggested (thermodynamics shows that these ideas won’t work).
The sun undergoes nuclear reactions which result in the release of photons (beams of light that have energy associated with them). Alternative energy forms just capture the energy from the sun in different ways (actually, fossil fuels also got their energy from the sun a long time ago).
Here are a few alternative energy sources and how they relate to the sun:
Bio-fuels: We can grow plants (such as algae, corn, sugar cane) which collect the photons from the sun and use the energy in the photons to create sugars. We can harvest those sugars and and turn them into liquid fuels such as ethanol.
Solar Energy: This technology directly harnesses the energy of the sun by absorbing photons through photovoltaic solar cells and which create an electrical current when they absorb a photon. Additionally, you can use the energy of the sun to thermally heat an object, which is referred to as solar-thermal energy.
Wind Energy: When the photons from the sun hit the air in the atmosphere, that energy can cause the generation of wind. We can harvest the wind energy by using turbines which spin when the wind hits them. The spinning motion is used to turn a generator which produces electricity.
Hydro-electric: When the sun hits water, it can cause the water to turn into a gas and later that gas can result in rain. If the rain occurs at a high enough elevation and gets held behind a dam, the water now possesses a high potential energy due to the energy from the sun. That energy can be turned into electrical energy by converting the potential energy of the water into kinetic energy which is then used to turn a turbine in a hydroelectric dam.
Charles asks…
What is the cheapest alternative energy to implement and how does it compare to existing conventional energy?
What are current energy prices of alternative and conventional techniques?
The Expert answers:
Solar is the best, not the cheapest up front, but in the long run, always the best. Long after your oil runs out, long after your coal mine is closed, long after your nukes stop glowing, solar will still be there. Think about solar panels made 30 years ago still work just fine. The only power plant you want near you is a renewable one.
Mandy asks…
What is the name of this alternative source of energy called?
I recall hearing of some source of alternative energy that was based on the motion of the waves. Basically, the waves provided the energy(no giant turbines) and these things functioned like wind mills of the sea. Everything else was blah blah. The inventor of this ingenious device was some high school or college student, I think.
Whatever it is, just tell me the name of the inventor, the name of the thing he/she made, and how it works. I may have placed this question in the wrong place because there really isn’t enough about alternative energy to devote a link to. Remember, inventor, invention and how it works.
The Expert answers:
The link below leads to a patent on a “wave action energy generation system”. The creator/author is M. G. Montgomery.
The abstract/discription is:
The invention is an improvement in the economical generation of energy by providing a system for utilizing the wave action of bodies of water, such as ocean waves.^The system consists of a pair of floating units, each separately connected to a shaft member by a connecting arm, a ratchet-like gear affixed to the shaft member is indexed forward alternately or concurrently by spring loaded pawls affixed to each of the connecting arms from the floating units to the shaft members.^The wave action alternately raising and lowering the floating units concurrently turns the ratchet-like gear through the action of the pawls.^Thus, the turning shaft, properly geared can turn an electric generator, air compressor, or other device of generating another form of energy which can be used or stored for future use.
I don’t know what else you could be asking about.
William asks…
What are the potential alternative energy solution that we can use to replace gasoline in the long run?
This may sound ridiculous at this moment but we may need to face it sometime in the future , so what kind of alternative energy sources that we can tap into before we run out of gasoline? Do you think the oil companies or some other major corporations should really invest in such energy development since this is essential for the survival of our civilization.
The Expert answers:
Gerbil power works good.
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