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Ward Williams

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Are there any new energy storage methods on the horizon?

Electricity seems like the energy source that will be with us probably forever. There many ways to generate it, albeit not inexpensively is some cases. Storing it for "on demand use" seems to me to be the real challenge. Even if we can generate vast amounts of electricity using wind and solar, etc. those sources are unreliable. If we could hold on to what we generate it would go a long way toward a solution. This is not a revelation to anyone, but I'm curious about new ideas for storage of electricity.

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  • Blake Nielsen

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    Feb 26 2013: Algae is the fastest growing plant in the world and carbon neutral when burned for fuel. Water, sunlight and CO2 is all that is needed to grow it. The big challenge is the extraction of the oil from the plant material. This I s our most promising future fuel source.

  • Blake Nielsen

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    Feb 26 2013: Algae

    This is a rapidly producing plant that stores energy in the form of oil. In fact most of our current oil is decomposed algae.
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      Ward Williams

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      Feb 26 2013: How quickly does this replenish? Is it quickly enough to prolong our need for other sources?

  • Carlton Parfitt

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    Feb 24 2013: Sure is... VANADIUM REDOX BATTERIES... check out American Vanadium Corp for info on their global plans to supply VRBs for off-grid or microgrid applications like mining facilities.

  • ZX Style 20+

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    Feb 24 2013: Plants produce usable stuff like vegetables and fruits.
    But converting food into energy (bio-fuel) is ineffective because it requires another converting process with losses.

    It's indeed better if plants could produce power rightaway.
    Maybe another idea is to create a plant who is able to produce normal crops, but are stuffed with electricall energy.
    So the energy carrier or battery is the fruit, like a pumpkin, from which the energy can be sucked out.

    Now indeed the problem is to create direct energy from photosynthesis.
    That is the hard part..
    Ah nobody listens to their parents, they all come back eventually.
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      Ward Williams

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      Feb 24 2013: She's living in the basement again right now. Oddly, there's no sunlight down there, and not much energy either.

  • ZX Style 20+

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    Feb 24 2013: .
    smart energy grid
    Nanocarbon things can improve battery time dramatically i've heard. But its not yet in production.
    maby we can also create living organisms to retain energy.
    Like trees where you can just put your plug in and charge your ... whatever.
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      Ward Williams

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      Feb 24 2013: The whole plant thing really intrigues me. Really all living things store energy for later use, and do not require a constant input of fuel to live, that is, if you shut off the fuel they don't die instantaneously. Big solutions there, I think.

      • ZX Style 20+

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        Feb 24 2013: There are allready batteries invented which uses organic material.
        http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20090216/165690/
        How brilliant would it be if you could just raise a genetical modified tree which produces your daily power supply in your back garden.

        Normally in the first few years a tree puts its energy in growth, after a tree his energy is put into creating offspring. If you modified that part into putting his fotosynthesis energy in power creation, then it could work.
        After that you have to find out a way how a tree can storages is energy, or directly sending it to the main power line.

        Well i guess i'm just day dreaming.
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          Ward Williams

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          Feb 24 2013: I don't think it's daydreaming. PV panels are converting sunlight into usable energy, Plants are already doing this. It's the usable (for us) part that is tough, but it can be done. I told my daughter (she's the smart one) that her mission is to figure out how to tap photosynthesis and make it work for us. She's going to be an accountant. Oh well. Thanks for the link. I love this stuff.

      • ZX Style 20+

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        Feb 26 2013: The latest news shows that plants are electrically charged, that's how the bees know the flowers have nectar.

        http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2013/02/20/science.1230883

        So this news means that plants can charge themselves, so we should modify them for 120V and we are ready to go! (it would be funny if an insect would approach the flower.. bzzzz....)
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    Lawren Jones 10+

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    Feb 19 2013: http://www.ted.com/talks/donald_sadoway_the_missing_link_to_renewable_energy.html
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      Ward Williams

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      Feb 19 2013: Nothing short of awesome. Thank you, Mr. Jones, and Dr. Sadoway
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      Gail . 50+

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      Feb 20 2013: Thank you for the link, Lauren. Renews my hope
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