Harnessing the sun’s power
September 24, 2009
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I was reminded of the sun’s awe-inspiring powers as I attended the inauguration of the PS20 Concentrating Solar Power plant in Seville, Spain. It is quite an impressive thing to see. Thousands of enormous mirrors concentrate the heat of the sun on the highest part of the tower, and the light is quite visible even from a far distance. With this system, the plant is able to convert sunlight into enough energy to supply 10,000 homes without emitting approximately the 12,000 tons of CO2 a year a conventional power plant would have had to produce for this. On top of this, the plant will be able to store the energy with an innovative technology using molten salts (see last entry in the blog).
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September 25th, 2009 at 6:13 am
Ecosystems, CO2 – Earth2Earth cycle
Once upon the time, the atmosphere has been different unlike the blue sky we have. The primary atmosphere has been dense and dark, consisting of various gases in very high concentrations.
Later on, it appeared chlorophyll setting up harmonization cycle of our planet.
They have been appearing many kinds on the way of harmonization, the trees too.
When they have been growing in dense primary atmosphere they have been reaching an enormous high and thick.
Due to its enormous size their chlorophyll starts transforming the gases of primary atmosphere in a liquid known later on as petrol. That liquid went down in their roots reaching deep underground by three circulation system. Many trees performing that transition get carbonized and after they die, a thick layer of coal has been formed.
Upon the time, the concentration of excess gases gets down and the trees resume their flow function.
The Earth has stored remains of its primary atmosphere as petrol and coal.
In brief, our Earth has been following a cycle of harmonization: excess of gases in the atmosphere, chlorophyll and its accelerated function by trees and then storage of remains underground.
What happen now, our atmosphere has dangerous concentration of gases and the Climate Change is in sight.
Do we need to stop it? Do we need to reverse the ecosphere to its normal stage?
If yes, let remind us. An excess of gases and the trees are here.
What might be missing?
It might be an accelerated function of chlorophyll.
At the time, our planet has accelerated the function of chlorophyll.
What is our turn now?
October 4th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
Chavdar the tale you explain has nothing to do with what I learnt in school: petrol never “flowed” from trees to underground but got formed in very slow process when seas full of life beings got underground after huge techtonic movements.
Anyway that’s not the question, if the Earth conditions change substantially, life will change (it won’t dissapear) many species will dissapear and it will evolve to adapt to those new conditions. In the process it’s very unlikely that human presence on Earth can be sustained, it’s a mere biological accident, but it affects us (me) quite a lot.
October 22nd, 2009 at 5:26 pm
There are three related issues:
First, Desertec (Munchener.re) project wants to install solar furnaces and photovoltaics with electrical generation capacity across the equatorial deserts, notably in Africa for transmission to Europe.
Next Spain (SEGESA) and Morocco (CNED) want to build an electrified high speed rail tunnel link across the strait of Gibraltar.
Finally we need to do something to replace carbon fuel.Most renewable sources such as solar, wind and tidal are like nuclear: they produce energy, OK, but not necessarily when people want it! To mop up this ’spare’ energy , electrolysis is suggested. Europe has produced a “Hydrogen Road Map”. and Lyon University claims hydrogen could be stored in silicon nanotubes, then released by mechanical or thermal means.
There may yet be another option too:according to Professor Earl Bardsley of the Earth and Ocean Sciences department of the University of Waikato, in Hamilton, New Zealand, Metallic Silicon, refined from desert sand using magnesium, hydrochloric and sulphuric acids form seawater could perhaps be achieved with powerful solar furnaces.The advantage would be a direct replacement solid fuel substitute for coal, using fluidized bed technology in demand-responsive power stations and large surface transport units such as ships and trains.
Whatever the future holds, it seems unlikely that any one ‘magic bullet will appear. Rather a diverse range of technologies which will require some common standards to join them all together.
However, the powerful hydro-carbon turkey-barons are not about to vote for an early thanksgiving sacrifice, so all these will encounter stiff opposition from oil-field operators and refiners, and indeed the European general public would probably much prefer ‘drop in-replacement’ liquid bio-fuel analogue of gasoline for their private automobiles, even if these ‘environment friendly fuels’ do release much the same quantity of carbon-dioxide. At least they might preserve the comfortingly familiar status-quo of commuting and sitting in endless, slow-moving city traffic queues!