FirstMistake Exclusive!
Transducers for The Retrieveal of Eco Energy and it's Storage.
Today, a new green energy technology has been announced that claims to circumvent the problems associated with other so called green energy production techniques, such as wind turbines and biomass.
The new technology, announced today, goes under the grandiose title of "Transducers for the Retrevial of Ecological Energy and it's Storage", claims it has much better green credentials than it's main rival, namely Wind turbines.
Professor Coille, the academic behind the technology and the company promoting it, described it thus;
"This transducer technology is solar based. It takes light energy and transform this into a storable energy. Instead of taking an electronics based approach as has been the case with solar cells or solar water heating panels, our approach is much more akin to what nature herself does in the photosynthesis process.
Indeed the photosynthesis model is the one we have been trying to strive for. It overcomes many of the major problems that you get with technologies such as wind turbines. Our transducer and storage technology will retrieve and store energy even in low light levels. Of course, the rate of store will reduce. But conversely it increases greatly suring period of high light levels. So it naturally adjusts to compensate for variations in the source of it's energy rather than just ignore large areas of the production curve."
This, the Professors points out, contrasts sharply with Wind technology. Wind turbines only produce useful energy when the wind is blowing between certain defined speeds. Not only are low levels of residual wind not useful, but high winds are non productive as well.
"When you look at it, wind turbines are a vastly troublesome technology. They require massive amounts of materials and energy to build huge industrial plants, usually in remote and beautiful areas. Take for example the recent wind turbine plant approved for the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. It is so remote from where the power is needed, that it is estimated about 50% of that generated will be lost in transmission to Scotland's populous belt running between Glasgow and Edinburgh. When you also factor in that the wind plant will on average only produce a quarter of the rated output, you have got to wonder what is the point. The amount of emmissions created just to build the turbines, transport them up to Lewis and then build the infrastructure to get the energy to where it is needed you just have to ask yourself is it worth it?"
All this according to the Professor, and you still don't get over what the Professor believes to be the Achilles heel of Wind technology.
"Wind turbines provide energy only when the wind blows - obvious really. This is generally not when there is a demand for the energy. Just look at Denmark's experience - the Danes have a large wind capacity but are always dumping energy into Europe at knock-down prices because it is generated at the wrong times. The flip side of this coin is that at peak demand times, the wind generally is not blowing ( or blowing too strongly ), so the Danes have to buy energy when it is expensive. So despite having a very large wind generation capacity, they have some of the highest electricity prices around.
The key that wind operators have forgotten is storage technology. The so called wind operators are now beginning ( but too late in the game - Ed) to realise that Wind technology must solve the storage problem before it can be a useful technology. Their current thinking is to use massive arrays of batteries. This will just exacerbates the ecological disaster Wind power has tuned out to be.
Our transducer technology has been designed from the outset to address this problem. The device we propose consists of an array of transducers that convert light energy from the sun , using a process very similar to photosynthesis in plants. The transducers are connected to an array of storage cells via micro-flow technology via a main trunk routing system. The storage cells store the energy for later use. ( See the schematic below - Ed)
There are a great many advantages with out transducer technology. Firstly, there is some level of daylight every day so the Transducer arrays will capture and store a certain amount of energy each day.
Secondly, the Transducer devices do not need any additional infrastructure to enable them to work. They do not need huge concrete bases or support roads etc. Once they are installed they can be left to continue storing energy until that energy needs to be retrieved. There is no need for additional storage facilities as the devices store energy in an "organic" way. They are also self stabilising and will adjust automatically as the amount of stored energy increases.
The energy is stored available in a solid form that can be burned. It can be cut into small blocks and used in home heating appliances with no modifications. This reduces significantly the requirement for additional infrastructure such as large battery arrays or large electricity transmission systems. Existing transport and logistical systems are quite capable of a accommodating the energy produced by these devices."
Professor Coille is rather excited about his next point. "The great advantage of our transducer technology is that is uses up carbon dioxide as part of the process. Now that is something Wind cannot do. Biomass has recently been proven to produce amounts of Nitrous Oxide that remove it's value as a green fuel, not to mention the terrible consequences to the environment and food supply if fuel monoculture were to be undertaken on a sufficiently large scale to make a difference."
"Our transducers have undergone extensive tests to assess their impact on the environment, over a considerable period of time. They provide shelter and a safe environment for many species. Plants and other crops can be grown alongside large transducer arrays. Since they have no moving parts, they present no danger to wildlife or to man. They are made from mostly bio-degradable materials with no use of concrete or metals.
"In fact," continues the professor, "we have shown that many wildlife species and people actually become quite fond of these devices. People have told us that they would be happy having one or more of these small transducer devices in their garden. They are silent and can provide shade and a wind break in a garden. The only sound produced by the transducers is when the wind blows amongst the transducer array - People say it kind of rustles, but not loudly and is in fact quite pleasant."
Seems like an almost perfect technology. "Not quite" says the Professor. " There are still a number of technology issues that need to be addressed, but it does look promising".
I ask the Professor what these "issues" are - as our readers know it is these "little issues", such as the wind not blowing when required, that can prove very problematical for green energy technologies.
"Well", says Professor Coille, "Currently the devices need their transducers replaced every year. This is a very straightforward process, but could be problematical for remote locations. We call these type of devices "deciduous" for obvious reasons. We are working on a a set of different model of transducer that will have a longer life, but we have not scaled up the individual transducer element to the same size as the "deciduous" versions yet. I suppose we could just use more of them to produce the same amount of energy."
Not such a problem, your FirstMistake reporter thinks, but then Professor Coille makes this statement. " I don't think our Transducer Retrieval of Eco Energy and it Storage technology will be compatible with current Wind turbine technology, and unfortunately they will compete for the same sites."
Asked to explain further, the Professor goes on to say "Our transducers would be ideal to install in the same sorts of locations as the current Wind turbines. They can make good use of land that is otherwise not productive for agriculture, and so can be installed en masse on hillsides and so forth. They have a tendency to absorb the wind and settle it down. So it seems there can be a transducer array installation or a wind turbine but not both."
FirstMistake is not a great fan of windpower ( in fact we think is a big confidence trick - Ed), and the advantages outlined by the Professor for this technology seem to be streets ahead of any other "green" energy technology currently under discussion or being implemented. The professor has big plans.
"We hope to make transducers available to everyone for a relatively small cost very soon. I am actually thinking of distributing them through garden centres for small scale use at home, as the natural place to install a transducer array is in a garden. The more area catching light energy the better and teh more energy that will be stored. The professor wants to initiate and garner support for his "Programme for Land Area to Nurture of Transducers" or P.L.A.N.T.
Lets hope the Professors' dreams come true. FirstMistake will keep a close eye on the development of this amazing technology, which promises much with little or no damage to the environment.
It may be time to P.L.A.N.T lots of Transducers for the Retrival of Eco Energy and its Storage (T.R.E.E.S.)
First Mistake says it's gotta be better than Wind power!
