TOP-5 alternative energy sources of the near future

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Energy is needed for the development of the economy and humanity as a whole, and that is why energy sources have become the most important and demanded raw materials in world markets.

However, there are energy sources that no one has heard of, but which, nevertheless, can be used for generation.

Below we will tell you about 5 energy sources that few people know about.

It is important to understand that some of them are not at all practical and their use is economically impractical, but there are also those that in the near future can be used for the benefit of society.

Human energy

This is not about a person pedaling to generate energy. Many science fiction books and films talk about the potential energy that the human body can generate.

There are two ways to get energy from the human body. One way involves movement, which involves the use of kinetic devices.

The second method involves the use of heat generated by human bodies.

Kinetic devices are usually passive and generate electricity as a person performs normal movements - walking, eating, breathing.

Kinetic generators are already being used in a variety of devices, including wristwatches, hearing aids, pacemakers, and a number of smartphone prototypes.

Experts predict that kinetic generators can become so powerful that they can be used to charge mobile phones or even laptops.

The second method involves capturing heat from the human body using biothermal devices. Such devices already exist in small numbers and are used to power pacemakers. An important advantage of such devices is that they do not need movement to work.

Sound energy

If you have ever been to a rock concert, then of course you know what a powerful, deafening sound there is.

Scientists have found the ability to capture sound energy and redirect it to generating devices.

Since speakers can convert electricity to sound, piezoelectric sensors can do the exact opposite.

There are already prototypes of mobile phones that can recharge themselves with energy if a person just speaks (or shouts) into a microphone.

There are many concepts in the world that use sound energy for power generation, however, most of these concepts have not received widespread use.

However, there is a concept that, according to scientists, has every chance of gaining widespread use. This device uses a "drum" that moves air in and out of the chamber as it vibrates. The movement of air passes through a turbine that generates electricity.

Probably, one day there will be "sound farms" in the world that will use our bustling world for power generation and become as widespread as wind farms.

Rain energy

This is another concept using piezoelectric sensors to convert the energy of rain drops into electricity.

One can imagine that the installation of such devices on the roofs of houses can lead to the fact that people do not need electricity from the mains when it rains.

Moreover, if you connect such devices with solar panels, then this will significantly reduce the consumption of electricity from the network in any weather.

Recent research in this area has shown that rain energy can power the small devices we use in our daily lives.

If the efficiency of such devices increases, then rain energy will be more widely used.

Urine energy

Yes, there are such devices! According to the Royal Society of Chemistry, scientists at the pistol Robotics Laboratory have created a microbiological fuel cell (MFC) capable of generating electricity from urine. During the experiments, only 25 ml of urine generated 0.25mA of electricity for three days.

Of course, this is unlikely to be suitable for supplying power to a computer. However, it is worth considering that this is one of the most affordable ways, given the fact that everyone can use urine to generate electricity.

Road surface energy

If you combine geothermal energy and the energy of the heat of urban road surface, you get a new source of energy. In a typical urban environment, temperatures often rise very high due to the fact that the roads are covered with asphalt and concrete.

These materials are capable of retaining large amounts of heat. This is especially noticeable if the cities are located in southern latitudes, where temperatures rise very high during the day, so that practically on the street, right on the road, you can boil an egg.

Moreover, there are cases when people tried to cross such roads without shoes and were hospitalized with burns.

The concept of power generation in this case is very simple. Directly under the road surface there is a system of pipes, inside of which there is a liquid.

The liquid is heated and pumped into a heat exchanger located next to the power plant.

This heat can be used to generate steam that drives the turbines.

Alternatively, the heat can be used directly instead of the traditional wind and solar energy.

Another method is related to the fact that the circulation, which is caused by the heating of the water, rotates the turbines directly.