The Holy Grail of power

[Pretty Funked Up]

Stumbled across these, probably the most interesting kitchen foil on the market.

 

But seriously, they even produce power at night from the warmth of the planet

[barge sara]

Stumbled across these, probably the most interesting kitchen foil on the market.

 

But seriously, they even produce power at night from the warmth of the planet

 

Except:

"One thing to not mentioned in the article: For IR panels to work they must be colder than the source of IR. So if the ground is at 70f, the panel must be colder than 70f, preferably much colder, like below freezing. This is hard to do when the air is about the same temperature as the ground. But it does work well for satellites. "

 

Its the same sort of technology as drives the ecofan, generating small quantities of electricity from a temperature differential.

Good for satellites, possibly not for canal boats......

[NB Willawaw]

Have you read the comments on that linked article ??

 

[WotEver]

Except: "One thing to not mentioned in the article: For IR panels to work....

 

But a later comment states "Bart, no these aren’t IR panels and they do not need to be cooled"

 

I took Mark's advice and read the comments

[FadeToScarlet]

Except:

"One thing to not mentioned in the article: For IR panels to work they must be colder than the source of IR. So if the ground is at 70f, the panel must be colder than 70f, preferably much colder, like below freezing. This is hard to do when the air is about the same temperature as the ground. But it does work well for satellites. "

 

Its the same sort of technology as drives the ecofan, generating small quantities of electricity from a temperature differential.

Good for satellites, possibly not for canal boats......

 

Pah, you need liquid nitrogen in pipes under the panels. Duh!

[Gibbo]

"researchers at the Idaho National Laboratory are close to the production of......."

 

So that'll be 30 years or so then

 

Gibbo

[casper ghost]

Saw a kids program last night (with my daughter, honest) they were showing how to get free electricity from radio waves and the sun's waves (can't remeber exactly). If that can ever be produced cost effectively we won't have to worry..

[Gibbo]

Saw a kids program last night (with my daughter, honest) they were showing how to get free electricity from radio waves and the sun's waves (can't remeber exactly). If that can ever be produced cost effectively we won't have to worry..

 

Well solar panels do that with the sun's waves. As for radio waves, where will the energy come from to produce the radio waves?

 

Gibbo

[Guest User]

........ where will the energy come from to produce the radio waves?

 

......... Jupiter ? CLICKY

[NB Willawaw]

Batteries and solar panels ?

 

Well solar panels do that with the sun's waves. As for radio waves, where will the energy come from to produce the radio waves?

 

Gibbo

[mayalld]

Saw a kids program last night (with my daughter, honest) they were showing how to get free electricity from radio waves and the sun's waves (can't remeber exactly). If that can ever be produced cost effectively we won't have to worry..

 

Hmmm...

I'm sure I heard a story once of a farmer who generated electricity from radio waves by wrapping several turns of copper wire round his barn.

 

It worked as well.

 

Unfortunately, it reduced the radiated power of the waves in the shadow of his barn, and they found his barn at the apex of the customer complaints about poor reception

[Graham and Jo]

These things are an aerial that absorbs infrared frequencies. They do not need cooling like IR detectors. They can apparently absorb 90% of the energy landing on them. This can be directly from the sun or from anything radiating IR like buildings, the earth and us. They work but generate very high frequency AC with which present technology struggles. Further research is necessary to take the power out of the IR aerial. If you want your mind boggled read clicky Cheers Graham

[Pretty Funked Up]

They are simply antennas tuned to the frequency of infared. No cooling required etc,

the problem currently is the power they produce, its in Thz or something and, no where near the 50-60Hz things work on

 

 

gutted

Edited September 23, 2009 by Pretty Funked Up

[Gibbo]

The real problem is really that generating (or rather converting) energy in the THz band is neither use nor ornament to anyone. It's nigh on impossible to move it around (wires don't work at all and waveguides are pointless as all they will do is convert it back to IR radiation which is what it started as) and there is nothing available at present to rectify such high frequencies. That's not to say there won't be some time in the future.

 

Gibbo

[Proper Job]

"researchers at the Idaho National Laboratory are close to the production of......."

 

So that'll be 30 years or so then

 

Gibbo

That's a standard statement that is issued by all researchers just before their grant is up for review

[kevinw]

Hmmm...

I'm sure I heard a story once of a farmer who generated electricity from radio waves by wrapping several turns of copper wire round his barn.

 

It worked as well.

 

Unfortunately, it reduced the radiated power of the waves in the shadow of his barn, and they found his barn at the apex of the customer complaints about poor reception

 

Allegedly, it was a farmer close to an old ship to shore radio station in Dorset. He was duly hauled up before the local Beak charged with theft from the GPO (so it must have been back in the days when the post office controlled everything to do with the phones and radio transmissions), but was found not guilty on a technicality that as the signals were being transmitted, he was just receiving them, but in a rather unothadox manner.

 

Being gracious loosers, he was then prosecuted by the Postmaster General for contravening the Wirelss Telegraphy Act, 1949, by receiving transmissions for which he was neither licenced nor the intended recipient.

 

Kevin

[mayalld]

Allegedly, it was a farmer close to an old ship to shore radio station in Dorset. He was duly hauled up before the local Beak charged with theft from the GPO (so it must have been back in the days when the post office controlled everything to do with the phones and radio transmissions), but was found not guilty on a technicality that as the signals were being transmitted, he was just receiving them, but in a rather unothadox manner.

 

Being gracious loosers, he was then prosecuted by the Postmaster General for contravening the Wirelss Telegraphy Act, 1949, by receiving transmissions for which he was neither licenced nor the intended recipient.

 

Kevin

 

Yup. that sounds like story I recall.