Innovation Future Specialist
Here is how we develop the required energy innovations to turn a great vision into reality.
» Set the aims
» Consider clean renewable energy sources
» Consider other energy sources
» Assess the environmental impact
» Think about costs
» Seek radical innovations
» Think outside the box
» Expect multiple solutions and future progress
» Set the aims: A clean and sustainable solution that provides abundant affordable energy for everyone.
» Realise that there is a vast amount of clean renewable energy
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Ambient energy: solar; wind; wave; tidal; ocean currents and thermal gradients; ambient heat; geothermal; hydroelectric; biofuels, etc.
How many of the above are powered by the Sun?
» Consider also nuclear energy and alternative sources of energy
» Scrutinise processes that produce pollution or hazardous waste
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» Fossil fuel combustion
» Nuclear fission reactors
» Nuclear fusion, but to a lesser extent (Fusion reactions can produce neutrons which on contact with the reactor's container might transmute the material into radioactive isotopes. This is dependent on a number of factors. The experimental results from the ITER fusion reactor will not be available for several years, so there is limited real-world operational data for this aspect. It is estimated that the decommissioned reactor's materials will need to be safely stored for 100 years; less than that for a fission waste.)
» Waste and byproducts from mining, and refining, raw materials
» On a finite planet, land usage is important too
» Reflect on what determines energy costs
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» Markets, supply and demand, policies, and regulation
» The efficiency of manufacturing and operational processes
» The efficiency of energy technologies
» Costs drop significantly with automation, exponential technologies, and radical innovations!
» Apply radical innovation to every aspect of the energy sector, not just the energy source
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» Power generation
» Energy storage
» Power distribution
» On- and off-grid solutions
» Manufacturing, construction and operation
» Think outside the box
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» Utilising vast areas of desert
» Oceans, above and below
» Deep below the Earth's crust
» In Earth orbit, and further into space
» An innovation that converts fossil fuel into clean hydrogen fuel and nano-materials (carbon nanotubes and graphene)
» Ambient temperature superconductors (for storage and distribution)
» Supercapacitors for storage
» Antimatter
» Given the massive challenge, anticipate the need for multiple innovations to satisfy the overall aims
» Remember that exponential progress will produce improved (and new) solutions as the decades progress, but we need to start now.