Any ideas out there on new energy sources?

Question

Any ideas out there on new energy sources?

Answer 1

methane from garbage and cow p**p

Answer 2

Check out Dr. Bussard's new fusion reactor described in one of the latest issues of ANALOG. They are building a proof of concept version now.

Answer 3

Harness the hot air emitted by liberal politicians and Hollywood celebrities.  Endless source of energy.

Answer 4

Hydrogen don't exist on this planet in pure form.To get H from water we need looooot of energy.Another 'brillant' proposition to use garbage...ok..so- we need more, and more garbage

Answer 5

Dr. Olah, winner of the Nobel Prize in chemistry ('94?) makes a very strong case for a "Methanol Economy" as opposed to a "Hydrogen Economy".

His argument: hydrogen, methane and methanol are, in practice, merely ways of storing and transporting energy. They are not "new" energy forms in and of themselves.

Among the most common methods for producing hydrogen, electrolysis (providing water with an electric charge delivered by two different anodes and with the negative side bubbling hydrogen as the positive side bubbles off oxygen) presents 2 problems:

First, expense. Odds are better that we'll develop a more practical battery in the near future with a very long range per charge.

Second: Until we begin generating all our electricity with non-polluting fuels, hydrogen will get its "charge" (conversion from water to hydrogen) from a method that emits more pollution than it saves.

Methane is considered a major contributor to global warming (I know many here are of the opinion that GW is a money-making scam...even if it is, China is NOT a scam but a huge new variable in the supply/demand equation that has driven up our fuel prices)

Methane can very efficiently be produced using the same method our bodies use which I'd best go into no greater depth concerning.

Anaerobic digestion - the process whereby anaerobes (bacteria that live in the absence of oxygen) digest biomass and release volumes of methane - is becoming ever more efficient. The methane is trapped, of course, as releasing it into the atmosphere would be like pouring $4,000/oz perfume down the toilet.

The methane is pumped through gas-scrubbers that remove unwanted gases such as CO2, hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen, etc.

NOW!!!! Here's the REALLY cool part! A tiny handful of researchers are just beginning to investigate the potential efficiencies of using another bacteria - methanatrophs - to CONVERT the GAS (Methane) into the LIQUID FUEL, METHANOL!!!!

That factors down to nothing less than a drop-in replacement for gasoline! Bingo, Zingo, DONE!

Well, not so fast. We're still awaiting the numbers on those methanotrophs.

A methane fuel cell, tho, is already being installed at the Riverside CA waste-water treatment facility to optimize efficiencies in generating electric power.

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Answer 6

I think hydrogen cars are the way to go. only water comes out and you can drink the water too.

Answer 7

Garbage seems to be everywhere. Try to invent Mr. Fusion like we see on Back to the Future, then our problems with landfills will also go away.