April 9, 2009
By: Luke McKinney
Publication: The Daily Galaxy
Summary:
This article explains three different kinds of interesting alternative energy sources. The first source has to do with wind power. Wind farms around the world have ran into many problems. They are expensive, take up a lot of room, and have people whining over the plants taking over the coal-burning plant. A group of engineers thought of a solution for this. They thought that they should just make the wind plants a thousand times better. An idea for making them better is using permanent magnets to float the turbines which would make them easier to turn. Chinese developers claimed to have achieved this. Another way to make the wind farms better would be a safe and friendly nuclear reactor in every backyard. A hydrogen atmosphere surrounds a uranium hydride core, the whole thing is encased in concrete and then buried somewhere to power 25,000 homes for up to five years. Although its a cool idea, the probability of this scheme being approved is slim to none. The last idea is 'taming tornadoes.' A retired engineer, named Louis Michaud, has filed a patent for a device that would generate tornadoes and then harness them for power generation. Basically it is an Xtreme version of wind power. This device would set up the conditions that create a tornado and harvest the energy that it has naturally grown. This man suggests that we could make it even more environmental friendly by using hot water generated by a nearby nuclear plant to provide the conditions.
Opinion/Reflection:
This article was very interesting to me. I couldn't believe the three unique things people around the world have thought of as alternative energy sources. The last idea, 'taming tornadoes,' stuck with me the most though. I couldn't believe that you could actually create a tornado AND use the energy! Out of those three ideas I think the tornado idea would work best. It is very environmentally friendly and could potentially change the way we power our homes, buildings, etc. Researching alternative energy sources reminded me of the time I did a project in middle school on wind power. When I did that project I thought wind power was really cool but now I know that there are a lot more choices of obtaining our energy.
Questions:
1) Of the three new ideas, which one do you think would be most successful? Why?
2) Do you think 'taming tornadoes' could actually work in our cities today?
3) What is another alternative energy source?
Opinion:
ReplyDeleteAll of these ideas were fascinating to me. If these three ideas could be invented, I'm sure that scientists all over the world could come up with thousands more. Taming tornadoes definitely appealed to me the most. Not only was it very interesting just to think about the concept of harnessing tornado power, it was even better that it could be made even more enviromentally friendly by using nuclear plant's hot water. The idea of placing a nuclear reactor in everyones' backyards seemed exciting, but also dangerous to me. I am also skeptical whether homeowners would agree to allow for this change. Also, this source of energy would only last 5 years until it had to be replaced, which could add up to a very expensive fee. This article reminded me of a documentary I once watched about tornadoes. Their power is overwhelming and it is very thrilling yet alarming to imagine their power being harnessed. The documentary reminds me that mother nature can be extremely deadly and it is not always smart to mess with it.
Check out this clip showing how dangerous tornadoes can be!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUTQI52Vhg8&feature=fvst
I find the suggestions in this article a bit confusing. I understand about the permenant magnets but the part about uranium and hydrogen, I do not. Isn't uranium the stuff they use to build bombs and all? And I'm not just saying that to be funny. If one thing went wrong, then that could easily mean that 25000 houses would blow up. I also doubt the tornado invention. Just like the uranium, things could go horribly wrong. It would be an experiment gone bad, like frankenstein. I find all these suggestions to be unsensible and that the government should do more research before taking such a big step like that.
ReplyDeleteQuestion two: I doubt the whole theory of taming tornados very much. I mean, it's not a simple breeze or gust that we're talking about but a full out tornado. Those things have been in the news years past, reporting to have ripped apart houses, killing people and livestock alike. Overall, even if it were to be a good idea, i believe that taming tornados is way too unreliable.
Opinion:
ReplyDeleteI thought this article was interesting but confusing. I do not understand what the first energy source is nor the third one but I did like the uranium hydride core idea. If this core can supply 25000 homes with energy for 5 years i say we should consider it. If the core was only used for 2000 homes it would last a lifetime. the floating turbines idea and the tornado idea sound cool but seen highly unlikely. If I had to choose one energy source for my home I would pick the Uranium core.
Question 3: Geothermal energy. I have heard that people who live near volcanoes can harness its energy from the heat it gives off.
Opinion: This article was very interesting. Listening to all of these alternative energy possibilities was very interesting and enlightening, but some of the ideas are a bit far fetched. The whole tornado taming idea just seems a bit rash in the fact that a tornado is classified as a natural disaster. We all know that a disaster is a terrible occurance and we would all like to avoid them throughout our lives. But instead of avoiding a disaster, we would be creating one. If this device to create a tornado was completely approved and made safe and dangerproof, then that would be a different story. But until that happens, this tornado idea should not be put into place. I like the fact that we are creating ideas for alternative power sources, but they shouldn't be at the level of creating a tornado, which is a natural disaster.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to Question 1: I believe that the plan of permanent magnents on wind turbines is the most reasonable power source. The tornado idea, like stated before, is a rash decision and the idea to have a nuclear reactor in every backyard seems a bit out of proportion.