Towards the Green Flames
In the past 1 yr or more I have come across many blogs and news articles on global warming, renewable energy and eco-friendly processes.
I am a frequent visitor to http://earth2tech.com/ and http://www.sciam.com/energy. It is impressive to see so much work going on in building alternate fuels. Other news stories discuss eco-tourism, energy-efficient buildings, waste-management and other concepts which require a ‘hyphen’. Even Goa government has plans for green-tourism.
For once humans have learnt to care for their environment.
Some two years back bio-diesel was seen as a green alternative to fossil fuel. But we have learnt that the process of creating this alternative inturn add substantial amount of CO2, and requires large energy input to grow the crops. One documentary on Net-Geo showed how vast forests were depleted in Indonesia to produce palm-oil to be supplied to Europe and America for bio-diesel production.
Fuel-cell powered cars are not currently viable as the hydrogen required is not freely available and the process of producing hydrogen is mentioned to be highly polluting. Additionally the cost of these vehicles is very high.
Electric vehicles get a thumb-down for their low speeds and battery charging times.
Hybrid vehicles are not really an alternative looking a decade into the future, as one of the engines is a conventional hydrocarbon powered ICE.
An electric engine cannot be said to be 100% pollution free. The electricity could be coming from burning coal. Hydro-electricity is clean but the dams built require thousands of tonnes of cement, and often thousands of hectares of forest and farm land get submerged under the dam water.
Solar power by far appears as the cleanest and safest. Either sunlight is used to generate electricity by solar-cells or solar heat is concentrated [using parabolic-reflectors/mirrors] and used in power stations. The energy conversion ratio in solar-cells still remains low, and there are only 2 major solar power stations in operation.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6616651.stm
Wind power is another clean alternative. But there are social issues with setting up large wind-mills. The following link lists some successful and failed projects.
http://ecoworldly.com/2008/08/20/13-magnificent-renewable-energy-successes-and-failures/
We realise that humans can’t do without constructing buildings, machines, roads; and industrialization. These are essential for sustaining the basic quality of life, leave aside improving it. But these are the activities whose execution is threatening the existence of life itself.
I would base my writing on known facts and common sense [with the order not being important]. Some of the ideas proposed below could be superficial or good ones which could have been written about elsewhere.
The CO2 emitted from industries, which constitutes about 17% of total green house emissions, could be used to produce substances which can be a replacement to cement. Producing cement is highly polluting - makes up 3% of the CO2 emitted from burning of fossil fuels, and an energy consuming process.
Methane is a green house gas. Now imagine a sphere of sponge like material floating in the sky a few hundred meters above the ground. The material will be such that it absorbs few tonnes of methane. This could be extracted as fuel. Same treatment can be given to Nitrous Oxide and CFCs.
The disposed plastics, which are ubiquitous, could be converted to a substance to be used in building roads and in civil constructions.
Human and animal waste should be probed to extract chemicals which could be used in making, say, paints and medicines.
Hydrogen for fuel cell could come from the bacterial decomposition of industrial waste.
The salinity difference between sea water and river water at the conjunction could be exploited to generate electric current. Similar with the salinity difference at different depths in the sea. I learnt in high school that electrons flow whenever there is a difference in potential.
The aluminium panels covering facades of building absorb heat during day. This heat could be used to generate electric current through thermoelectric effect. Alternatively the heat could be used directly to heat water for domestic use. This will also reduce the heating of the building resulting in decrease in cooling needs.
High speed trains which can cover upto 300 kms/hr could be put into service to reduce dependencies on airplanes for long distance travel [Anyone saying a ‘no’ to a 3 hrs Bangalore-Mumbai train trip?]. Trains are far less polluting than airplanes, and consume less fuel per-passenger per-mile.
http://www.seat61.com/CO2flights.htm
A flat device at deep sea bottom could convert the potential energy due to the weight of the water into some usable form. Imagine the vastness of the seas; this could be an inexhaustible energy source.
The waves and tides which are everlasting and continuous could be used to drive turbines.
The earth’s magnetic force could be used to do useful work or the heat beneath the earth’s crust could be unleashed for generating electricity. Tornados, and the cyclones which hit the east-cost of India every year could be harnesses for energy, possibly reducing their destructive tendency.
As we understand the green-energies won’t be here to replace the convention fossil fuels ones until a decade or two. Some countries have declared to obtain 20% of their energy from renewable sources by 2020 [UK is said to be seriously lagging behind on this resolution ready].
The times ahead may be long and difficult but promise a greener, cleaner future.
I am a frequent visitor to http://earth2tech.com/ and http://www.sciam.com/energy. It is impressive to see so much work going on in building alternate fuels. Other news stories discuss eco-tourism, energy-efficient buildings, waste-management and other concepts which require a ‘hyphen’. Even Goa government has plans for green-tourism.
For once humans have learnt to care for their environment.
Some two years back bio-diesel was seen as a green alternative to fossil fuel. But we have learnt that the process of creating this alternative inturn add substantial amount of CO2, and requires large energy input to grow the crops. One documentary on Net-Geo showed how vast forests were depleted in Indonesia to produce palm-oil to be supplied to Europe and America for bio-diesel production.
Fuel-cell powered cars are not currently viable as the hydrogen required is not freely available and the process of producing hydrogen is mentioned to be highly polluting. Additionally the cost of these vehicles is very high.
Electric vehicles get a thumb-down for their low speeds and battery charging times.
Hybrid vehicles are not really an alternative looking a decade into the future, as one of the engines is a conventional hydrocarbon powered ICE.
An electric engine cannot be said to be 100% pollution free. The electricity could be coming from burning coal. Hydro-electricity is clean but the dams built require thousands of tonnes of cement, and often thousands of hectares of forest and farm land get submerged under the dam water.
Solar power by far appears as the cleanest and safest. Either sunlight is used to generate electricity by solar-cells or solar heat is concentrated [using parabolic-reflectors/mirrors] and used in power stations. The energy conversion ratio in solar-cells still remains low, and there are only 2 major solar power stations in operation.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6616651.stm
Wind power is another clean alternative. But there are social issues with setting up large wind-mills. The following link lists some successful and failed projects.
http://ecoworldly.com/2008/08/20/13-magnificent-renewable-energy-successes-and-failures/
We realise that humans can’t do without constructing buildings, machines, roads; and industrialization. These are essential for sustaining the basic quality of life, leave aside improving it. But these are the activities whose execution is threatening the existence of life itself.
I would base my writing on known facts and common sense [with the order not being important]. Some of the ideas proposed below could be superficial or good ones which could have been written about elsewhere.
The CO2 emitted from industries, which constitutes about 17% of total green house emissions, could be used to produce substances which can be a replacement to cement. Producing cement is highly polluting - makes up 3% of the CO2 emitted from burning of fossil fuels, and an energy consuming process.
Methane is a green house gas. Now imagine a sphere of sponge like material floating in the sky a few hundred meters above the ground. The material will be such that it absorbs few tonnes of methane. This could be extracted as fuel. Same treatment can be given to Nitrous Oxide and CFCs.
The disposed plastics, which are ubiquitous, could be converted to a substance to be used in building roads and in civil constructions.
Human and animal waste should be probed to extract chemicals which could be used in making, say, paints and medicines.
Hydrogen for fuel cell could come from the bacterial decomposition of industrial waste.
The salinity difference between sea water and river water at the conjunction could be exploited to generate electric current. Similar with the salinity difference at different depths in the sea. I learnt in high school that electrons flow whenever there is a difference in potential.
The aluminium panels covering facades of building absorb heat during day. This heat could be used to generate electric current through thermoelectric effect. Alternatively the heat could be used directly to heat water for domestic use. This will also reduce the heating of the building resulting in decrease in cooling needs.
High speed trains which can cover upto 300 kms/hr could be put into service to reduce dependencies on airplanes for long distance travel [Anyone saying a ‘no’ to a 3 hrs Bangalore-Mumbai train trip?]. Trains are far less polluting than airplanes, and consume less fuel per-passenger per-mile.
http://www.seat61.com/CO2flights.htm
A flat device at deep sea bottom could convert the potential energy due to the weight of the water into some usable form. Imagine the vastness of the seas; this could be an inexhaustible energy source.
The waves and tides which are everlasting and continuous could be used to drive turbines.
The earth’s magnetic force could be used to do useful work or the heat beneath the earth’s crust could be unleashed for generating electricity. Tornados, and the cyclones which hit the east-cost of India every year could be harnesses for energy, possibly reducing their destructive tendency.
As we understand the green-energies won’t be here to replace the convention fossil fuels ones until a decade or two. Some countries have declared to obtain 20% of their energy from renewable sources by 2020 [UK is said to be seriously lagging behind on this resolution ready].
The times ahead may be long and difficult but promise a greener, cleaner future.
posted by Unknown at
5:16 AM
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