2008 Woodie Awards
Newton's Laws
Thomas Newton
Issue date: 2/28/07 Section: Features
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We are embroiled in an energy problem. The recent trend to make consumer appliances, electronics and cars more efficient has helped ease the pain, but the underlying ailment remains. Compact Fluorescent Lights, hybrid cars and energy-saving appliances are all gaining in popularity and lowering energy consumption.
No matter how energy efficient any electronic product is, it still consumes energy - energy that is getting harder to come by. The world at large has been developing technologies at an almost frenetic pace, except those related to energy production . A simple focus on research aimed at developing cleaner energy production could solve many of our energy woes.
It's no secret that one of the primary energy issues is oil consumption. We use on average 21 million barrels of oil a day. To put that somewhat mind-boggling number into perspective, envision, if you will, 1,100 Olympic-sized swimming pools on a vast field. Fill each of them to the brim with oil and that's the amount consumed per day. Add the fact that two-thirds of U.S. oil is imported, and that the U.S. oil reserves can only support the country for 60 days by themselves, and you see that alternative energy sources are not only needed to curb global warming but also to keep our nation running.
What sort of technologies will be created to help our energy issues? Many start-up companies have strong funding and solid plans to create and distribute new, cleaner and more efficient means for harnessing energy. Solaria, a solar electric start-up company is working on enhancing the traditional solar panel. Through a distinct production technique, Solaria uses silicon to reflect light and magnify its intensity, thereby harnessing more energy. Their current panels use 50 to 60 percent less silicon than normal solar panels, making them more cost effective, and doubling the amount of energy they produce. Future panels are expected to multiply the energy produced 100-fold, not only by reflecting and magnifying light, but also by being mounted on rotating poles that would maximize their exposure to direct light.
No matter how energy efficient any electronic product is, it still consumes energy - energy that is getting harder to come by. The world at large has been developing technologies at an almost frenetic pace, except those related to energy production . A simple focus on research aimed at developing cleaner energy production could solve many of our energy woes.
It's no secret that one of the primary energy issues is oil consumption. We use on average 21 million barrels of oil a day. To put that somewhat mind-boggling number into perspective, envision, if you will, 1,100 Olympic-sized swimming pools on a vast field. Fill each of them to the brim with oil and that's the amount consumed per day. Add the fact that two-thirds of U.S. oil is imported, and that the U.S. oil reserves can only support the country for 60 days by themselves, and you see that alternative energy sources are not only needed to curb global warming but also to keep our nation running.
What sort of technologies will be created to help our energy issues? Many start-up companies have strong funding and solid plans to create and distribute new, cleaner and more efficient means for harnessing energy. Solaria, a solar electric start-up company is working on enhancing the traditional solar panel. Through a distinct production technique, Solaria uses silicon to reflect light and magnify its intensity, thereby harnessing more energy. Their current panels use 50 to 60 percent less silicon than normal solar panels, making them more cost effective, and doubling the amount of energy they produce. Future panels are expected to multiply the energy produced 100-fold, not only by reflecting and magnifying light, but also by being mounted on rotating poles that would maximize their exposure to direct light.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Aureon Kwolek
posted 3/01/07 @ 1:25 PM EST
Thanks - I will look into your information on solar breakthroughs - Very promising.
Please note: A recent scholarly study concluded that, as is, the grid could support about 80% of the demand to charge all possible plug-in hybrids that are expected to come on line. (Continued…)
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