Solar Laser: Possible Energy Source in Future prospect for future energy

[shiv 0]

I am an engineering student and this is a project I am working on now. I conceived the idea a couple of years ago and the project is finally getting some headway now. My paper has received some very encouraging responses from international conferences and is pending for publication in IEE. I am happy to share it here, and I will try to give the basic idea in the simplest way possible, keeping out technical overtures.Here we go..With the world exhausting its current reserve of fossil fuels at an astronomical speed at one hand, but growing even more energy hungry at the other hand..we earthlings as a civilisation have to soon look for alternative sources of energy.Nuclear power as we all know is a double edged sword. The If's and Buts's are simply too scary.The best option is to develop natural renewable sources of energy and our safe bet is to tap into the sun.But Solar power technology has its big limitations today in terms of productivity. Two main limiting factors are : 1. Takes a long long time to charge up solar cells. 2. The output power is very low. The amount of power producing capability is still very low. So as you can see these two inter-twined reasons result in low effectiveness and productivity.One magical bullet that can hit the both the targets at a single shot is what I call SOLASER- to convert Solar Rays to LASER beams before feeding into the solar cells. As you may all know - LASER is coherent, monochromatic, and directional..high power LASER beams can 'Zap' you in a puff! Testing by feeding LASER into Solar Cells , productivity improved leaps and bounds...it reaches a new level of capability. It gives us just the power we want!But converting solar rays to LASER is the catch. As you may know LASER doesnot occur naturally. It is not natural light. It is created artificially by stimulated emission. My project tries to achieve just that through an indegenously developed system. Its not perfected yet..I dont get out true LASER..but its as close as we can get. You may be bemused because its embedded in our public consciousness that we can afterall 'concentrate' solar rays quite easliy by using a convex lens and burn up a paper. Well that's exactly what the latest solar cells do..the solar cells have a plate of convex lens attached on its top , to concentrate the rays better. The increase in productivity through this has been considerable - but does not give us the 'power' we seek. Another exciting avenue for future of energy is Fuel Cells. But fuel cells too are plagued by limitations very similar to Solar power. Same goes with Wind power.True LASER from Solar light is a far call off. But SOLASER might just be the future .Pardon me for sounding over ambitious..but i guess one got to be so to make it through.Cheers!Shiv

Edited March 27, 2006 by shiv (see edit history)

[kaputnik 0]

Of all the renuable forms of energy, solar energy seems to be one of the best bets for the near and distant future. Primarily, because the sun puts out a great deal of energy through fusion and is distant enough not to immediately pollute the planet. On another front, it's going to be there for a great deal of time - something that is really worth investing time and money into.Other than this, as far as earth resources are concerned, we could always look at resources like wave action (since we can assume that the moon is going to be around for a while). Solar-power tech should really be invested into, especially for vehicular transport as well as heat requiring industry. As soon as something that's viable for industry to adopt on a grand scale, I'm pretty sure we would be able to look out for clearer skys and cleaner air to breathe.

[Houdini 0]

Actually I believe that a breeder reactor for the supply of energy would be a better choice, and the sun is actually just such an example of one, why harness something that can be done here on earth with samll resources, the Nuclear Industry has been around for years but those that don't fully undetstand it are deathly afraid of it with no real basis other than uninformed opinions of journalists (first-third graders with a college degree in BS).Look closely at developing the energy from the smaller parts of the earth or universe for that matter. Stars last for eons and will continue to do so, and using a technology like a breeder reactor (which puts out more energy than it takes to fuel the process) would be a step in the right direction, face your fears and conquer them. The USS Ronald Reagan just commissioned is designed to last 60 years and can travel the world many times over. It is nuclear powered and will require refueling one more time in those 60 years. If you have never been aboard an aircraft carrier, then I can tell you that I have. The energy demand is tremendous to launch and recieve aircraft and feed, cook, bath, and provide the massive electronic and electrical systems aboard such a craft, it is a floating city with a crew of thousands, not to mention weapon systems, the bridge etcetera required to run a ship like that.Even a nuclear submarine could supply electricity to a small city i the event of an emergency, but due to security porposes this is not done. Get nuclear and be assured of a job for life and refine that and help take the scare out of it to actually improve energy dependence in the near future.Also learn about abiotic theory where petroleum or oil is actually produced by the earth itself and not from dead animals (dinasaurs) just do a Google on it to see what I mean, and the Russians already not only make use of the theory but prove it to be true.

Edited March 29, 2006 by Houdini (see edit history)

[iGuest 3]

solar laser

Solar Laser: Possible Energy Source in Future

 

The idea of a solar laser is one I have been contemplating, however using the heat generated to create steam in order to run a turbine and produce electricity. My thought is to use this technology on a smaller scale, producing power for small scale point of use residential and commercial.

 

-reply by james

[iGuest 3]

Replying to iGuestSolar concentration, be it laser or 380 mirror truly in my oppinion is the obvious step towards power generation. This particular heat source (fuel) can be used to heat sea water using various heat echanging configurations , resultant steam for power generation. Sea water used for turbine condenser, hotwell condensate used to feed desalination plant.Power generation would take care of parasitic load for desal plant. All I need is an investor-reply by ike joe

[alephalpha 0]

Solar power has always been an intriguing idea; however, modern methods of usefully appropriating that power have been slow and expensive in such development-- probably because cheaper alternatives have prohibited the time allowed for sustained investigation. I have not done any research on the topic but that stars are potent and obvious resources that we should learn to appropriate, however, I do believe that there exist many other sources of energy more easily applied but not so easily understood. Just some thoughts about the sun: -It is interesting how solar emissions can be directly used as energy, as can be evidenced in biological processes.-It is also interesting that many elements are derived from solar dynamics and star formations/destructions (is this correct?)-Is it correct that the atom may resemble the systems of space?The idea of focusing solar emissions to amplify energy reception is a good idea but I think it is simply the next, more advanced form of solar power processing. Yet, it is a step that may have been needed to be done in addition to perhaps other similar yielding methods. Well, for me, one idea that I've had is that such a system of capturing solar emissions ( flares etc.), once created, could be put in place outside of Earth's atmosphere to better (?) capture the more abundant energy, and that the system to relay that energy to Earth would be of a type that converts such energy wirelessly to receiver stations on Earth. I do not think that such wireless transmission of energy/power is unheard-of. Another idea is to create organic apparatuses to directly convert sun energy, but I have no knowledge of such efficiencies. I believe that organic technology will be the apex of human engineering; thereafter, further evolution will not have a human element. In a side note, I think that there should be an education system on par with EU governance across the world, like the UC system in california or the UP system in paris. maybe?

[toby 0]

Well the moon won't be around for long, it's going away. I don't know how far it will be, on scale of Sun exploding or us going away.The only problem is land space, I assume they can't be transparent or transloosent.

[iGuest 3]

i think we can use solar light as a laser..Solar Laser: Possible Energy Source in Future

Well I am sure that we can use solar energy or sun light as a laser.But on the Earth surface its very difficult to develop this thing.. ButAs all the artificial satellite use solar energy to produce or getEnegy for its own. And there they get direct sun light. But on EarthSurface lots of energy is not reach due to Ozone Layer.. If we prepareA satellite with this capability then we use solar light as a laser..And we can deliver that laser to Earth surface with any transportingMean..

 can we use optical fibers to transport that laser beam.????? 

 and also we can prepare that laser beam on Earth surface bye using numbers of lanes and concentrateThe light on a spot and further we can use a diamond or crystal whichCan again concentrate that beam.. And which can be more concentratedAnd have high capacity to produce heat.. 

thanx..

I know all this is use less.. And can't be true but I think likeThat..And want to prepare a free of cost electricity generated plant..

-reply by Ashwani Sharma

[*TBC*Killer 0]

Well thats good news that this project is moving on if we keep nuclear energy on and on it will destroy slowy the planet as we know it...I wish you good luck and work at your project :oRewards Bruno

[iGuest 3]

I would like to know more about your Solaser TheorySolar Laser: Possible Energy Source in FutureShiv,I have always been highly facinated with solor power, but disapointed at it's overall output. Afterall, the greatest energy source in our galaxy is the sun; can't we get more out of it? I don't think you are over ambitious. Ambition, next unto inspiration, is what has brought us the greatest technological advances in word history. I want to know more.