Dr Max Whisson, an inventor from Perth, Western Australia, believes that he has discovered a way to produce 200,000 litres of fresh water a day in a dry land. Max’s idea is to build a 1,000 km long 10 metre wide water producing freeway running a long distance inland from the sea then returning back to the sea again. Max explained on the ABC’s Australian Story Program that the ocean contained an endless supply of fresh water that could easily be extracted by using thermal solar energy. Max’s scheme is to run a number of large parallel black pipes carrying sea water along this large scale water producing freeway. The 10 metre wide series of pipes would be covered by a transparent perspex cover. Daytime solar heat will cause the water in the pipes to heat up and 70% to 80% of the fresh water will evaporate off in a series of hot ponds in the circuit. Max Whisson said that hot air from the pond surfaces will be ducted up to condensation sheds where cooler atmospheric air causes distillation of the fresh water. At the end of the water road, the salty brine is returned to the sea or it could be used to produce sea salt, Dr Whisson said. Nobel Prize winning scientist Dr Albert Einstein explained the photo electric effect of semi-conductors in his Theory of Relativity or in other words, how solar cells work. Basically, semi-conductor material is somewhere between a conductor and an insulator when it comes to the conduction of electricity. Conductors like copper and other metals easily conduct electricity and insulators like porcelain, rubber and other non-metals resist the conduction of electricity. Dr Einstein explained about an electronic band gap around the atom where electrons inside the band gap are bound to the nucleus and other electrons outside the band gap are called free electrons and are free to conduct electricity. When the semi-conductor material is heated by sunlight, some electrons inside the band gap gain enough energy from the sunlight to jump past the band gap and become free to conduct electricity. Vice versa when the semi-conductor or photoelectric material cools down they jump back across the band gap again leaving less free electrons outside the band gap to conduct electricity. Thank you Dr Albert Einstein for explaining this scientific principle which has become the basis of today’s rapidly growing photovoltaic industry around the world. High efficiency silicon solar cells powered by light and sunlight are now manufactured in large factories around the world. Scientists today are now discovering new ways to further improve the efficiency of solar cells and lower the production cost of solar panels for the widespread production of electricity. The new Burj al-Taqa building will produce 100% of it’s own energy by cleverly using new materials, shade, and ancient Persian air-conditioning technology. Arrays of solar panels and a wind turbine on the roof of this architectural wonder will power the skyscraper. A cylindrical building shape with a 60 degrees solar shield will ensure that no rooms are exposed to direct sunlight. New vacuum glazed windows will insulate the building from the hot 50 centigrade degrees outside temperature. In the ancient Persian natural draught air chimney, cool air is drawn into the building through high level slats and the cooler air sinks and displaces the hot air in the rooms below. Sea water circulation in the cellar of Burj al-Taqa pre-cools the air and underfloor cooling water pipes produce a comfortable 18C room temperature inside the building. The simple basic natural air conditioning principles used in this absolutely gorgeous state of the art architectural wonder are a tribute to understanding the laws of nature by the Persians of old. The same principles may also be applied at comparatively low cost to create energy efficient building heating and cooling environments anywhere in the world. These fundamental principles include the intelligent use of the areas exposed to sunlight and protected by shade, the use of natural air circulation cycles using insulating materials and arranging heat transfer methods from cooler underground locations and evaporative cooling from bodies of water, when available. Ultra thin solar cells may be the solar cells of the future and they are cheap to produce say researchers at Berkeley, California USA University. Ultra thin cell technology is called nanotechnology. The prefix ‘nano’ means one billionth the size of normal. The thickness of these nano solar crystals is around one thousandth the thickness of a human hair, say the Berkeley scientists. Ultra thin solar cells retain the photovoltaic properties of traditional solar cells and according to the scientists, they may and can be synthetically produced as a thin colloidal rooftop coating. According to the Science Foundation, if all the rooftops in USA were coated with this cheap inorganic material, then they could generate three quarters of the country’s electricity. The Ultra Thin Solar Cell research paper authored by student Ilan Gur with co-authors Neil Fromar and Michael Geier was recently published in the Science Journal. Below are a few tips from Ford Motors to help drivers conserve fuel and save money at the pump whilst at the same time helping the environment and improving traffic safety. - Slow Down and Watch Speed - and enjoy a 10%-15% improvement in fuel economy. Pumping the accelerator wastes fuel. Using cruise control on the highway conserves fuel.
- Accelerate and Brake Smoothly - fast starts, weaving in and out of traffic and hard braking wastes fuel and wears out brakes and tires more quickly. Maintain a safe distance between vehicles and anticipate traffic conditions.
- No Idling - today’s engines don’t need a warm up. Start the car immediately and gently drive away. Don’t leave your car idling. Prolonged idling increases emissions and wastes fuel. Turn the engine off in non-traffic situations such as fast food drive-up windows.
- Check Your Tires - keep tires properly inflated to the recommended tire pressure. This alone can reduce the average amount of fuel use by 3% - 4%.
- Be Kind to Your Vehicle - maintain proper engine tune-up. Keep the wheels aligned. Wheels that are fighting each other waste fuel. Replace air filters as recommended. Use a fuel with good detergent additives to keep the vehicle engine clean.
- Travel Light - a lot of luggage on the roof rack will hurt fuel economy by as much as 5%. Remove excess weight from the vehicle. Unnecessary weight makes the engine work harder and consumes more fuel.
- Minimize Use of Heater and Air Conditioning - use heating and air conditioning selectively. This can help you save 10%-15% of fuel. Park in the shade to keep the car cool.
- Close Windows at High Speeds - Driving with the windows open at highways speeds increases aerodynamic drag on the vehicle and lowers fuel economy.
- Choose the Right Oil - use good quality, energy conserving EC oils with the viscosity grade recommended in the Owner’s Manual.
- Consolidate Trips - plan ahead. This will enable you to bypass congested routes, lead to less idling, fewer start-ups and less stop-and-go traffic. Whenever feasible, share a ride and/or carpool.
Q..What is a heat vault?
A..A heat vault is a series of insulated tanks or ponds for storing hot water or oil. Water is an excellent heat storage medium and so is concrete. Dry earth is a good insulating material for heat storage vaults, ponds and tanks but wet earth will conduct the heat away. Q..How much does it cost to run a plug in an electric car?
A..Examples in the USA show that where a conventional motor car will run on gasoline costing around USD2.30 a gallon, a comparable plug in hybrid electric vehicles will run at an equivalent costing around USD0.70 a gallon of gasoline. Q..What is hybrid solar lighting and how does it work?
A..Hybrid solar lighting is a tube of natural solar lighting enhanced by a reflective coating with two optical plastic fibres and a photosensor. Where hybrid solar lighting has been used in commercial building it has improved daytime lighting illumination and slashed lighting electricity costs by up to 60%. Q..Explain how to make water using a water windmill.
A..The water windmill invented by Dr Max Whisson of Perth, Western Australia is essentially a bunch of vertical fan blades powered by the wind. Air from the fan is blown over refrigerated plates and water in the air is extracted as dew and runs down to a collection tank. Dr Whisson says that this device could extract heaps of fresh water from the air anywhere in the world except at the North and South Poles where the air is dry. Q..Give some examples of solar powered devices that could be run in places like the West African savannah where there is no electricity.
A..Solar panel/battery charging systems for lighting, radio and solar air conditioners. Robert says the more you know about FREE and alternative energy, the more you can benefit and profit from the changes now gathering momentum all over the world. In his book “Solar & Heat Tips” Robert brings you a collection of small and large case studies, ideas and information about energy saving principles and useful products. Get it now at www.mrsolarenergy.com.
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