The concept Mirrors in Space was discussed in an article from the summer 2001 Whole Earth Review, Mirrors & Smoke: Ameliorating Climate Change with Giant Solar Sails,
by Kenneth I. Roy, PE and Robert Kennedy, PE.
Over the years, the concept has been discussed in many posts, including in the geo-engineering group by Sam Carana
The ABC show, Good Morning America, on January 29, 2007, featured a clip on mirrors in space, featuring a proposal by Roger Angel, University of Arizona, to send many small discs into space to form giant mirrors deflecting some of the sunlight from Earth.
Roger Angel's research into the feasibility of cooling the Earth with a cloud of small spacecraft near the inner Lagrange point (L1) has been discussed at:
National Academy of Sciences
National Institues of Health
Sciencenews.org
Roland Piquepaille
Monday, May 7, 2007
$25 million prize to combat global warming
In February 2007, airline tycoon Richard Branson announced a $25 million prize for the most innovative solution to get greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere in the battle against global warming.
Former Vice President Al Gore and Virgin CEO Richard Branson talk with Harry Smith about the prize in the interview below.
Former Vice President Al Gore and Virgin CEO Richard Branson talk with Harry Smith about the prize in the interview below.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Wave Power
Thirty years ago, Stephen Salter designed a floating canister that captured wave power by driving a generator from the motion of bobbing up and down on the waves.
Since that time, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge and many prototypes have been made.
Four students at University of British Columbia worked for four months on a prototype that makes 15 Watts of energy in 10 inch high waves.
Here's a video called Taming the waves, about a project in Cornwall (UK)
Another video shows a device by Solarist
This video by SwellFuell shows a device coined Pandorra's box that uses a flywheel to get a more continuous flow of electricity.
https://www.youtube.com/v/rOGHXjG2U8c
And here's another one:
https://www.youtube.com/v/Y9jagH35m7o
Since that time, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge and many prototypes have been made.
Four students at University of British Columbia worked for four months on a prototype that makes 15 Watts of energy in 10 inch high waves.
Here's a video called Taming the waves, about a project in Cornwall (UK)
Another video shows a device by Solarist
This video by SwellFuell shows a device coined Pandorra's box that uses a flywheel to get a more continuous flow of electricity.
https://www.youtube.com/v/rOGHXjG2U8c
And here's another one:
https://www.youtube.com/v/Y9jagH35m7o
Turbines inside a huge Solar Tower
Last year, Australian power company EnviroMission proposed the Solar Tower project - a $225 million green power experiment to construct a 1,600 foot tower with enough generating capacity to fuel 100,000 homes.
Instead of relying on solar cells, the tower acts like a giant greenhouse. The sun's energy is harnessed to create warm air currents that will drive a series of power generating turbines inside the tower. Located under the glaring sun of the Australian outback, the 50 megawatt pilot project will stand taller than Chicago's Sears Tower and sit 260 feet in diameter at the base. The capacity for the technology is far greater though, and has gained the attention of Chinese investors. In 2002, Xiang Jiang Industrial became EnviroMission's second largest shareholder and plans to build a 200 megawatt tower in Shanghai, China.
Instead of relying on solar cells, the tower acts like a giant greenhouse. The sun's energy is harnessed to create warm air currents that will drive a series of power generating turbines inside the tower. Located under the glaring sun of the Australian outback, the 50 megawatt pilot project will stand taller than Chicago's Sears Tower and sit 260 feet in diameter at the base. The capacity for the technology is far greater though, and has gained the attention of Chinese investors. In 2002, Xiang Jiang Industrial became EnviroMission's second largest shareholder and plans to build a 200 megawatt tower in Shanghai, China.
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