The Energy Solution

Posted: 01.04.2006
By: Derek Coleman

In my last article about energy - "The Energy Problem", I explained my thoughts on the issue of the ever increasing demand for electricity and its effects it could cause the planet and it's inhabitants. In this follow-up article I will attempt to offer some ideas of how this eminent problem could be solved, or at least partially solved.

Recycle Heat...
Much of the electricity used today is used extremely inefficiently and as a result produces a massive amount of heat. In order to gain back a little efficiency, wasted heat could be channeled to a thermal generator of some sort to create more electricity. In this process, various combinations of the use of the extra power are achievable. For instance, the extra electricity could be used to power the air conditioning for data farms or large city buildings. It could be stored as back up power in the case of a power outage. This solution would be good for use in current situations, but it still doesn't quite solve the problem completely.

Let There Be Light...
Light, the most untapped energy resource we know, yet has the potential to be of use in so many applications, that it is still beyond our current comprehension. There will likely come a time when light will supplement and eventually replace electricity as the most demanded form of energy by humans. Computers of the future may use light processors in place of circuits, transistors, and capacitors to move data around. The very fact that light is faster and has the potential to use less electricity to perform the same functions as today's computer functions makes it the obvious solution to the energy problem. But alas, it does still take electricity to create light.

The Future Of Energy...
Some ideas to the energy problem are good, but no one idea should ever be the end all solution to the problem. We must keep in mind that in order to solve the problem, the balance of energy should be kept as steady as possible. There are many ideas that no one has thought of or discovered yet, but all solutions should complement each other to make the dependence on electricity obsolete. As we pursue the future with our need for more of whatever happens to be the hot new technology, we truly have to be careful to observe the impact of such technologies on Earth an wherever else man decides to live.