Sorry, but that's a horrible idea. Really, no shops during the day? And what about all these people who'll now have to work night shifts? What does that do to family life?
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Are you the next Thomas Edison?
- Thread starter Sebs
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Sorry, but that's a horrible idea. Really, no shops during the day? And what about all these people who'll now have to work night shifts? What does that do to family life?
What about luminous food or cosmetics that you could see in the dark?
Wall-paint that captures sunlight and converts it to electricity?
Heat from restaurant extractors used to heat water for nearby flats?
A solar panel driving a cold plate in your lounge or office as a form of aircon?
Penlight or cell-phone batteries in the heels of your shoes that get recharged by your walking motion?
Batteries you could leave out in the sun to re-charge?
Cars you could leave out in the sun to re-charge?
A solar stove you could leave out in the sun to make a one-pot meal?
Chlorophyl power-cells?
Using the green algae at Hartbeespoort to generate methane?
Clothes that never need washed? (I know some people - I think they've been prototyping this for years - at least that's what it smells like.)
Using compost or landfill sites to heat up water?
Wind-powered underpants? Er...sorry, Just scrap that one.
Wall-paint that captures sunlight and converts it to electricity?
Heat from restaurant extractors used to heat water for nearby flats?
A solar panel driving a cold plate in your lounge or office as a form of aircon?
Penlight or cell-phone batteries in the heels of your shoes that get recharged by your walking motion?
Batteries you could leave out in the sun to re-charge?
Cars you could leave out in the sun to re-charge?
A solar stove you could leave out in the sun to make a one-pot meal?
Chlorophyl power-cells?
Using the green algae at Hartbeespoort to generate methane?
Clothes that never need washed? (I know some people - I think they've been prototyping this for years - at least that's what it smells like.)
Using compost or landfill sites to heat up water?
Wind-powered underpants? Er...sorry, Just scrap that one.
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Don't knock it. It's lateral thinking like this that can gerate a brilliant idea. Keep them coming!
mercurial
MyBB Legend
what about that pebble bed reactor that everyone was talking about a while back?
DragonLogos
Expert Member
The ' Energy ' Problem, shows why you need Governments that are forward thinking, and can plan ahead... they need to listen to people that have a handle on the future, people like Alvin Toffler for example. The problem is that no matter what you do to change something, it will take a good few years for that to sink in, and a good few years for any effects to be felt... so when you get to the stage were things are falling apart, you have a big problem trying to fix it
Anyway my idea for energy saving would be to interface electrical management houses and business into a PC which can control lights, heaters etc - it can also communicate with you while you are out... and I have some great ideas for this which, would make a great movie... lol - and no I am not saying what it is - The system would also be on line to the central power controlling computer, which would ask about making reductions, so you could have it switch off the lights, and maybe let it know that you can take out the hot water in ten minutes time, and the stove in 20 minutes, rather than pull the plug on everything
When asked what was the difference between Edison and Tesla: Edison when trying to find a needle in a hay stack would take each haystack carefully apart until the needle was found. Tesla on the other hand would use a large magnet
It is dreamers that move the world. Practical men are so busy being practical that they cannot see beyond their own lifetime. Dreamers and visionaries have made civilisations. It is trying to do things that cannot be done that make life worthwhile. The dream of today becomes the custom of tomorrow – Cecil Rhodes
Anyway my idea for energy saving would be to interface electrical management houses and business into a PC which can control lights, heaters etc - it can also communicate with you while you are out... and I have some great ideas for this which, would make a great movie... lol - and no I am not saying what it is - The system would also be on line to the central power controlling computer, which would ask about making reductions, so you could have it switch off the lights, and maybe let it know that you can take out the hot water in ten minutes time, and the stove in 20 minutes, rather than pull the plug on everything
When asked what was the difference between Edison and Tesla: Edison when trying to find a needle in a hay stack would take each haystack carefully apart until the needle was found. Tesla on the other hand would use a large magnet
It is dreamers that move the world. Practical men are so busy being practical that they cannot see beyond their own lifetime. Dreamers and visionaries have made civilisations. It is trying to do things that cannot be done that make life worthwhile. The dream of today becomes the custom of tomorrow – Cecil Rhodes
mercurial
MyBB Legend
Sure, but we have to also acknowledge when the ideas are a bit too lateral
and sometimes it's so lateral that it's actually skew
If he does, something might come of them, instead of lying there in someones mind and not coming to fruition unless some other bugger gets the same idea and actually does something about it.
I had this idea, before the internet about car engines. Many okes like myself do not know much about them. Now say you want a spare part from the shop, you click on that part of the engine where it sits and the drawing zooms in on that - say the carburettor. Then you click again on the section where the jets sit and the drawing zooms in on that. Now the parts salesman can check it out and advise you what you need. This can then be linked to bin locations and stock levels etc.
But now this seems so lame...
Gym users can supply us with electricity, all those threadmill bunnies and cyclists can uses their energy and convert it ot power, imagine all the gyms in GP with some contraption that converts to electricity...?
Can help no?
The Dutch is looking at using water pipes under asphalt/roads/sidewalks to use the heat of these surfaces, to heat the water, and then gets used to heat their homes. We could use the same method to heat water during the winter (for heating), or preheat water before going to the geyser in general.
I'm sure that if you just use your driveway for this purpose it should already lower your consumption noticeably.
I'm sure that if you just use your driveway for this purpose it should already lower your consumption noticeably.
McSack
Executive Member
What about all these lifts in tall buildings? Think of all that stored-up energy when the lift is as the top. What happens to it. Answer - nothing. As the lift goes down the energy is converted to noise and heat. Imagine that every time a lift went down, it would drive a small generator, which in turn could supplement the building's heating and lighting requirements. Excess power could also be fed back into the national grid.
This isn't pie in the sky. I've seen this working at a train-lift in Aviemore, Scotland.
This isn't pie in the sky. I've seen this working at a train-lift in Aviemore, Scotland.
There's enough sun in Amsterdam to warm up the roads and sidewalks??
The Netherlands are also big on solar power. I've read about a family that produces enough energy in summer to pump back into the grid, thus actually making money. In winter they need to get about 30% from the grid, so summer just about pays for winter.
Most people don't feel the heat of the sidewalks and roads, as everybody wear shoes. It will however produce quite a bit of heat, and keep the heat for a while. With heavy snowfall, it might not be very effective, and they are testing a way of storing the warm water deep below the surface for winter months. Article here.
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DragonLogos
Expert Member
A different type of load shedding
Methane digesters - More for rural areas, but looks good... maybe try and pass this info on, or perhaps we can all get a Cow or Pigs to eat the grass, thus saving money on petrol or electric (cutting the lawn) people will be better off using this than becoming pay slaves to the utils, or waiting for the Government to do something for them
http://tilz.tearfund.org/Publications/Footsteps+41-50/Footsteps+46/Alternative+fuels.htm
Many Footsteps readers have asked for information about methane digesters over the years. Until now we have not been able to pass on much useful information for small-scale digesters. However, this design by Charlie Forst of ECHO is for a simple household unit that requires the manure from three or four cows or buffaloes or six goats and will produce enough gas for cooking and lighting for a whole family
When setting up the digester, only cow manure should be used, in order to build up the right culture. Goat or buffalo manure will not work! Once established, collect all the fresh manure from the animals in a bucket each day. Remove about 2% of the slurry (a mixture of manure and water) from the digester each day. Allow this to settle. Remove the liquid and mix it into the fresh manure. You may need to add a little water to get a runny mix. Add this carefully into the digester through the large tube and stir very well. It is essential to stir the digester really well once a day. Otherwise a crust develops and the digester will not work. You cannot go away for a few days and forget a methane digester!
The old manure can now be used as fertiliser. However, it is very strong and may burn plants unless diluted or mixed into compost.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/950402.cms
A developing country like India should take up methane farming, in view of our rapidly growing energy requirements.
We have the world's largest livestock population of 250 million, which produces close to 125 million tonnes of cowdung. Using this we can produce enough methane gas to entirely replace LPG and kerosene in cooking, and substitute petrol in transportation. Methane gas can also generate enough electricity to meet all requirements, at least in rural areas. The by-product can serve as excellent organic manure, substituting chemical fertilisers which require LNG as feedstock.
The gobar gas research station in Uttar Pradesh has established that one cow gives enough cowdung in a year to produce methane gas equivalent to 225 litres of petrol in energy terms. The calorific value table would show that one kg of methane gas is more or less equal in energy content to one kg of petrol, LPG, kerosene or diesel.
Methane digesters - More for rural areas, but looks good... maybe try and pass this info on, or perhaps we can all get a Cow or Pigs to eat the grass, thus saving money on petrol or electric (cutting the lawn) people will be better off using this than becoming pay slaves to the utils, or waiting for the Government to do something for them
http://tilz.tearfund.org/Publications/Footsteps+41-50/Footsteps+46/Alternative+fuels.htm
Many Footsteps readers have asked for information about methane digesters over the years. Until now we have not been able to pass on much useful information for small-scale digesters. However, this design by Charlie Forst of ECHO is for a simple household unit that requires the manure from three or four cows or buffaloes or six goats and will produce enough gas for cooking and lighting for a whole family
When setting up the digester, only cow manure should be used, in order to build up the right culture. Goat or buffalo manure will not work! Once established, collect all the fresh manure from the animals in a bucket each day. Remove about 2% of the slurry (a mixture of manure and water) from the digester each day. Allow this to settle. Remove the liquid and mix it into the fresh manure. You may need to add a little water to get a runny mix. Add this carefully into the digester through the large tube and stir very well. It is essential to stir the digester really well once a day. Otherwise a crust develops and the digester will not work. You cannot go away for a few days and forget a methane digester!
The old manure can now be used as fertiliser. However, it is very strong and may burn plants unless diluted or mixed into compost.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/950402.cms
A developing country like India should take up methane farming, in view of our rapidly growing energy requirements.
We have the world's largest livestock population of 250 million, which produces close to 125 million tonnes of cowdung. Using this we can produce enough methane gas to entirely replace LPG and kerosene in cooking, and substitute petrol in transportation. Methane gas can also generate enough electricity to meet all requirements, at least in rural areas. The by-product can serve as excellent organic manure, substituting chemical fertilisers which require LNG as feedstock.
The gobar gas research station in Uttar Pradesh has established that one cow gives enough cowdung in a year to produce methane gas equivalent to 225 litres of petrol in energy terms. The calorific value table would show that one kg of methane gas is more or less equal in energy content to one kg of petrol, LPG, kerosene or diesel.