Energy Trends to Watch in 2010

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Energy Trends
I’ll be Watching in 2010

The Long Shots

Clean Fusion?

Will it be realised this year? From what I gather the answer is a fairly definite no, maybe in five or ten years but not in 2010.


Orbo, Perendev and other Magnetic Motors?

I keep asking myself if there is something in this magnetic motor thing? There certainly seems to be some effect at work which science has not yet fully grasped, but will Orbo and Perendev be available in the shops before next Christmas – NO I really don’t think so!

Oil from Algae?

My friend Joy, a scientist, who worked with algae for years is convinced that algae has a lot to offer, if and when it can be tamed. Will we be burning algal oil in our cars this year? The answer is almost certainly a NO!

The Hopefuls

Super Batteries?

This is one area I personally have great hope for. There are at least two major contenders in the field. I will be watching “Fluidic Energy” with their “Ionic Fluid Battery” and somewhat less hopefully, the very secretive EEstor with their EESU Ultra Capacitor storage unit.
http://wood-pellet-ireland.blogspot.com/2009/11/fluidic-energy-versus-eestor.html

Efficient Hydrogen Gas Production?

Cheap and efficient hydrogen production both as a fuel and as an energy storage means for grid application is an attractive idea. I am following a development at MIT of a highly efficient method of splitting water into its components Hydrogen and Oxygen. If this can be perfected, it would represent a very significant gain to sustainability in the world. http://wood-pellet-ireland.blogspot.com/2008/08/water-into-fuel-mit-announcement.html

CHP Units (Combined Heat and Power)

Combined Heat and Power is an interesting if novel idea for increasing power in the system. I cannot see it as having anything but a minimal overall impact on power generation. One developer SunMachine in Germany interests me a great deal not so much for their CHP implementation as for their development of the wood pellet burner. http://wood-pellet-ireland.blogspot.com/2009/12/sunmachine-pellet-boiler-update.html

Under Sea Power Generation?

Sea waves and currents are a promising source of energy. One novel and very interesting project in development is a system that extracts energy from VERY slow and constant under sea currents. The advantages of this system are; 1. It would lie on the seabed and therefore present no danger to wildlife, shipping etc. 2. It can make use of constant slow speed currents to give reliable and constant power output. I guess the disadvantages are that the equipment is bulky for a given power output and that it is expensive in terms of $ per watt. This is one to keep an eye on: http://wood-pellet-ireland.blogspot.com/2008/12/vivace-vortex-power.html

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