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RM6901

Reg 10906909

Btech Ece

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¯ First think is future power sources is nuclear power
Albert Einstein told us that the line between matter and energy is a
fuzzy one. Energy can be produced by either splitting or combining
atoms--processes known as fission and fusion respectively.
Nuclear fission releases harmful radiation and produces large
amounts of radioactive material, which can remain active for
thousands of years and can destroy entire ecosystems if leake d.
There is also concern that nuclear material could be used in
weapons.
Currently, most nuclear power plants use fission, as fusion requires
tremendous amounts of energy to produce and maintain the
necessary high temperatures. But a natural phenomenon known
as sonoluminescence might one day provide a means of duplicating
the power of the stars--which are themselves just giant nuclear fusion
reactors -- in a beaker of liquid.
Sonoluminescence refers to the flash of light produced when special
liquids are struck by high-energy sound waves. The sound waves rip
through the liquid and produce tiny bubbles that rapidly expand and
then violently collapse. Light is produced in the pro cess, but more
importantly, the insides of the imploding bubbles reach extremely high
temperatures and pressures -- enough, some scientists speculate, for
nuclear fusion to occur.
Scientists are also experimenting with methods to create controlled
nuclear fusion by accelerating "heavy" hydrogen ions in a powerful
electric field.


  
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¯ Second think is future power sources is fuel power
At first glance, hydrogen fuel cells might seem like the perfect
alternative to fossil fuels. They can generate electricity using only
hydrogen and oxygen and are pollution free. An automobile running
on hydrogen fuel cells would not only be more efficient than one
powered by an internal combustion engine, its only emission would
be water.
Unfortunately, while hydrogen is the most abundant element in the
universe, most of it is bound up in molecules such as water. That
means pure unbound hydrogen must be produced with the help of
other energy sources -- which in many cases involve fossil fuels. If
that's the case, then many of the environmental benefits of hydrogen
as a fuel are negated. Another problem with hydrogen is that it cannot
be compressed easily or safely, and requires large tanks to store.
Also, for reasons that are not fully understood, hydrogen atoms have
a tendency to bleed through the materials encasing them, thus
weakening their containers.
Honda introduced last year a scooter that uses fuel cell technology

   
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¯ Third think future power sources is wind

Taking the concept of windmills one step further, or higher, scientists
want to create power stations in the sky by floating windmills 15,000-
feet in the air. The strange crafts will be kept afloat by four propellers
that double as turbines, and feed electricity back to earth through a
cable.
Wind energy currently accounts for only 0.1 percent of the world's
electricity demands, but that number is expected to increase as wind
is one of the cleanest forms of energy and can generate power as
long as the wind blows.
The problem, of course, is that winds don't always blow, and wind
power cannot be relied upon to produce constant electricity. There is
also concern that wind farms could impact local weatherin ways that
are yet to be fully understood. Scientists hope that taking windmills to
the skies will solve these problems, since winds blow much stronger
and more consistently at high altitudes.

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solar tower could begin in Australia in 2006. The 3,280 -foot tall
tower will be surrounded by a vast greenhouse that will heat air to
drive turbines around the base of the tower. It is estimated that the
power station will be able to generate 200 megawatts of electricity,
enough to power 200,000 households.
Solar energy requires no additional fuel to run and is pollution free.
Sunlight can be captured as usable heat or converted into
electricity using solar, or photoelectric, cells or through
synchronized mirrors known as heliostats that track the sun's
movement across the sky. Scientists have also developed
methods for using solar power to replace a gas-powered engine by
heating hydrogen gas in a tank, which expands to drive pistons
and power a generator.
Drawbacks of solar energy include high initial cost, and the need
for large spaces. Also, for most solar energy alternatives,
productivity is subject to the whims of air pollution and weather,
which can block sunlight.

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¯ Fifth think future power sources is coal
Coal was the fuel that powered the Industrial Revolution, and it has
played an increasingly larger role in meeting the world's energy needs
ever since. The major advantage of coal is that there is lots of it,
enough to last the world for another 200-300 years at current rates of
consumption.
While its abundance makes it very economical, burning coal releases
impurities like sulfur and nitrogen into the air, which can combine with
water in the atmosphere to form acid rain. Burning coal also produces
large amounts of carbon dioxide, a gas that according to most climate
scientists contributes to global warming. Major efforts are underway
to find new ways of making coal burn cleaner and to recover waste
coal, a formerly unusable byproduct of coal mining.




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¯ Sixth think future power sources is petroleum
Some call it black gold. Whole empires are based upon it; wars
have been fought over it. One reason petroleum, or crude oil, is so
valuable is because it can be transformed into a variety of
products, everything from kerosene to plastic and asphalt.
Whether it's a source for the future is hotly debated.
Estimates of how much petroleum is left in the Earth vary wildly.
Some scientists predict that petroleum reserves will reach a peak
and then rapidly decline as early as 2005; others believe that
enough new reserves will be discovered to meet world energy
needs for several more decades.
Like coal and natural gas, petroleum is relatively cheap compared
to other fuel alternatives, but its use comes at the larger cost of
environmental damage. Oil use produces large amounts of carbon
dioxide, and oil spills can damage fragile ecosystems and are
extremely difficult to clean up.

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¯ Seventh think future power sources is biomass

Biomass energy, or biofuel, involves releasing the chemical
energy stored in organic matter such as wood, crops, and
animal waste. These materials are burned directly to produce
heat or refined to create alcoholic fuels like ethanol.
But unlike some other renewable energy sources, biomass
energy is not clean, since burning organic matter produces
large amounts of carbon dioxide. It may be possible,
however, to offset or eliminate this difference by planting fast
growing trees and grasses as fuel supplies. Scientists are
also experimenting with using bacteria to break down
biomass and produce hydrogenfor use as fuel.
One exciting but controversial biofuel alternative involves a
process known as thermal conversion, or TCP. Unlike
conventional biofuels, TCP can convert practically any type
of organic matter into high quality petroleum with water as
the only byproduct, proponents claim. It remains to be seen,
however, whether Changing World Technologies, the
company that patented the process, can produce enough oil
for it to become a viable fuel alternative.

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¯ ight think future power sources is

hydroelectricity
Whether falling, flowing, or otherwise moving in tides or
under-ocean currents, water can be harnessed to produce
electric power. Hydropower supplies approximately 20
percent of the world's electricity. Until recently, it was
generally believed that water energy is an abundant natural
resource that requires no additional fuel and produces no
pollution. Recent studies, however, challenge some of these
claims and suggest that hydroelectric dams can produce
significant amounts of carbon dioxide and methane through
the decay of submerged plant material. In some cases, these
emissions rival that of power plants running on fossil fuel.
Another drawback of dams is that people often need to be
relocated. In the case of the Three Gorges Dams Project in
China -- which will be the largest dam in the world when
completed in 2009 -- 1.9 million people were moved and
countless historical sites were flooded and lost

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¯ Yinth think future power sources is antimatter

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