World In Future » energy

Solar Roadways – Roads in the Future

WorldInFuture — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 08:24:56 +0000

Free energy is everywhere around us. There are many ways to generate and collect energy from various sources like sun, wind, water etc. but somehow people always tend to make things more difficult by not using these renewable sources of energy. In last few years there is a great amount of new ideas for generating energy. People suddenly realized that everyday stuff can be a source of energy, riding a bike, running or just walking, sun rays hitting our roofs etc. But, is there any other option, something so obvious that we practically can’t imagine that being used for collecting energy. We simply have to change our way of thinking if we want to change the world.

So how about solar roadways? Are they a roads of future? Why use roads just for driving and collecting tolls, why don’t we use them for collecting energy. Of course, nowadays roads can’t be used for collecting energy but Solar Roads could.

Solar Roadway

US Department of Transportation recently awarded $100,000 to Solar Roadways to build prototype of first ever Solar Road Panel. So how does these future world roads work?

“The Solar Road Panels will contain embedded LEDs which “paint” the road lines from beneath to provide safer nighttime driving, as well as to give up to the minute instructions (via the road) to drivers (i.e. “detour ahead”). The road will be able to sense wildlife on the road and can warn drivers to “slow down”. There will also be embedded heating elements in the surface to prevent snow and ice buildup, providing for safer winter driving. This feature packed system will become an intelligent highway that will double as a secure, intelligent, decentralized, self-healing power grid which will enable a gradual weaning from fossil fuels.

Replacing asphalt roads and parking lots with Solar Roadway panels will be a major step toward halting climate change. Fully electric vehicles will be able to recharge along the roadway and in parking lots, finally making electric cars practical for long trips.”

It is estimated that is will take roughly five billion 12′ by 12′ Solar Road Panels to cover the asphalt surfaces in the U.S. alone, That amount of Solar Road Panels can produce three times more power than U.S. ever used.

We just can’t wait to see more of these roads all over the world in the near future.

Source: Solar Roadways

Car Free London in the future 2030

WorldInFuture — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 21:31:19 +0000

London without cars – sounds very optimistic and like a distant future. It’s very hard to imagine a London without cars so lets imagine a part of London without a car. Il Choi, David Seesing, Miika Hekkinen and MÃ¥rten WÃ¥llgren imagined that kind of part of London and they called it London Garden. Why do we need London Garden? Creators say:

“Every day 190 000 cars are driving within the congestion zone of London. Due to this amount of traffic, drivers spend more than 50% of their time wainting in queues which has brought the average speed down to 10 mph which is nearly the same speed as when we used to travel with horse and carriage. As a result bike journeys have been increased by 12% within the last year”

London Garden - why?

By driving this kind of bicycle you are actually generating energy or you can use it as scooter if you generated enough energy.

Bicycle

Bus uses your previously generated energy.

Bus seat

Bus stop collects energy from sun, water and wind.

Bus stop

More about this project at martenwallgren.blogspot.com

Top 4 Sources Of Energy In Future World

WorldInFuture — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 07:32:42 +0000

Although the world’s oil reserves are substantial and new discoveries doubtless remain to be found, there is no doubt that oil, coal, natural gas and other hydrocarbons are a finite resource and will eventually be exhausted.Â What to do then?Â Will Western Civilization disappear like the Easter Islanders after they cut down their last tree?Â Or, will we find new energy sources to replace them.Â If so, what might they be?

Solar Power

Concentrating solar power in deserts is a technology that could supply enough electricity to power the whole of Europe!

Concentrating solar power involves using arrays of mirrors to focus large amounts of sunlight onto a small area. This creates extremely high levels of heat, which can be converted into electricity using a steam turbine or Stirling engineâ€“ or stored in tanks of molten salt to provide power at night or on cloudy days.

Solar power from deserts

Electricity from the deserts could be transferred to population centres thousands of miles away using high-voltage direct-current cables.

Geothermal Energy

The extraordinary amount of heat seething below Earth’s hard rocky crust could help supply the world with a significant fraction of the electricity it will need in the future, with minimal environmental impact. Readily available in various geographical regions throughout the world, both on land and under the sea, this energy source alone could provide enough clean energy for the next thousand years.

Geothermal energy

Unlike conventional power plants that burn coal, natural gas or oil, no fuel is required. And unlike solar power, a geothermal plant draws energy night and day.

Underwater Turbines

These underwater structures are designed to convert a portion of the flow of the Gulf Stream through turbines to generate clean electric power. These slow rotating turbines would have a centrifugal separator and deflectors to prevent harm to marine life.

Under water turbine

Bering Strait Bridge

Making a bridge across the Bering Strait would join the two largest masses of land together on Earth. It’s a connection between North America and Asia!

The primary function of this span would be to generate electrical power and house facilities for collecting and processing marine products. Beneath and above the ocean surface would be tunnels for the transport of both passengers and freight.

Bering Strait Bridge to connect North America and Asia

Not only could this structure provide a physical link between Asia and North America, it could also serve as an avenue for social and cultural exchange. This land bridge would perhaps serve as a base for the development of clean fusion power.