Pearl Sutton wrote:I have been thinking about how power generation is generally focused on the big things: solar panels, serious hydro, big wind turbines. I think there are a lot of ways to do things VERY low tech and small, and am hoping others do too. I'm thinking up things I have either heard of long ago and don't have sources for, or that are coming out of my own head. If anyone has done any of these, I'd love to know. If anyone has other ideas, I want to hear them too!
I think we all do a lot of things every day that could casually generate a bit of power, or move a bit of water, or do something that needs to be done. And lots of "problems" could be harnessed into solutions. Waste or excess heat is a big one, I think.
And I always like direct power rather than transforming it to electricity first. We have all heard of things like water wheels that grind grain, but what smaller applications that take less force are useful?
Things that when you step on them go down just a bit and move a bit of water up a tube that has one way valves, when the water tank at the top is full it could either be a water source, or pour out suddenly and run a small hydro. If we had these in the floors of hallways in schools, we could harness the energy of lots of kids!
Speaking of energy from kids, pedals under the desk at school that if you are bored, pedal!
Tubes that go across the road, the traffic could activate them to move water or air to do something. Like the old gas station bells.
Small wind turbines (Savonius rotors are always my visual) next to a busy highway where the traffic wind moves them. Under an underpass you'd get some serious movement. Wonder about tunnels? Could the subways make power that way?
Tubes under the road that run water through them so the solar heat on the road heats water for home use or radiant heating. Wonder if you could radiant heat the floors of a small neighborhood with it's road?
The sweep of opening doors, put something on a busy door and use it to make something happen. Even if it lifts a small weight and the drop does something.
Thinking about the little cars at the fair when I was a kid that had a pole or floor sweep that gave it power to move. I think it's possible to have it go the other way and your car has a sweep that makes power as it goes over a certain surface. Might be how to recharge some of the power off an electric car, not all, but some. How many little sweeps could a car move and generate power on a surface? Hmm...
If the water in a town comes off a tower, use the force of it on the way out to do stuff Power from the Tap: Water Motors Low Tech Magazine
Concentrating solar heat into an area probably has other applications than just hot water, what else could it do?
The solar chimney effect could be used to move air for turbine power.
I look forward to ideas! Share yours!
All of the options you are referring to are small scale. You cannot generate power for million people through these small sources. Even wind & solar sometimes struggle to fulfill the needs of people, which are growing at an exceptional rate. So until and unless there is no solid source of power hydro, solar & win energy will continue to grow and thrive.
