In a TED talk last year, entrepreneur Justin Hall-Tipping discussed some forward-thinking ways in which we can harness natural resources for sustainable energy.
When graphite—a form of the element carbon—is vaporized, it condenses back into a different form called carbon nanotube, which is 1000 times more conductive than copper.
At this nanoscale, carbon is transparanet and flexible. When this carbon is combined with a polymer, a large molecule with repeating structural units, it somewhat resembles a piece of transparent parchment like those used for overhead projectors. When the material is in its bleached state, it allows light and heat through the sheet. When it is in it’s colored state, light is reflected and may not pass. Such an installation—say in a home or place of business—allows for a much less exhaustive use of centralized heating or air-conditioning units. An idea like this is the exact combination of sustainable resources and technological innovation that is needed to initiate momentous improvement in the efficiency of our society and drastically reduce our dependency on fossil fuels. Science and nature on the same team.
Hall-Tipping also discussed ways to store massive amounts of energy collected from the sun in order to reduce our current use of power grids. Perhaps a future where the energy we produce and use is sustainable and free isn’t such a farfetched idea.
It is vital that awareness of these methods grows, so real change can begin. Once that occurs, it is only a matter of time before our world begins advancing at an extraordinary speed. Think of it as a domino effect: the falling of the first domino (getting around the politics involved and growing awareness) will bring more and more innovations to the surface.
One of the major reasons that benefical and necessary changes have yet to take effect might have to do with the people and corporations in control of the current system. If “free energy” is implemented, many energy companies would be put out of business or would at least be forced to change their business models. Yes, jobs will be lost. Yes, money will no longer feed into those institutions. However, bettering the planet for both current and future generations needs to be a top priorty.
New jobs will continue to surface as the market stablizes and finds its legs. If such a future is pursued, more than just the cost of energy will be reduced. As I will expand upon in future columns, great new strides through technology and sustainable resources can also be seen in food systems, water treatment, transportation, infrastructure design, amongst other issues that face our generation and our world.
Reach the columnist at kayla.a.clancy@asu.edu
