by Val John Jennings

Created on: August 13, 2009   Last Updated: August 17, 2009

Alternative Energy

It's not that we are running out of energy sources, but that they are so dependant on the economic conditions of world events, that we have little control of the economics of supply and demand. Many countries have become so tech savvy that they maintain awareness of world events through the technology of the IT age. Their people have broken the yoke of dictatorial censorship and have become culturally aware. We all need a new age of enlightenment. What better source is there than the sun.

I foresee the time when solar energy will power cars, planes, boats, trains, and provide energy for stationary locations by imbedding chips beneath painted surfaces and in glass and poured surfaces such as sidewalks and in lawns and on roofs.Recently it was announced that an automobile would have air conditioning furnished by solar panels providing the energy. Many cars are now hybrids and can run on electricity with a gasoline backup. Propane gas has allowed vehicles to run for hundreds of miles with only one fill up. Atomic fuel cells are used in submarines. They are too dangerous for automobiles.

We developed the means to travel to the moon. Out of the space race came many inventions that were adaptable to medical, mechanical, and social applications. We are continually learning. Surely we can overcome the limitations of fossil fuels and improve our economy through cheaper electricity, better engineering, and new ideas.

Benjamin Franklin learned about electricity from flying a kite. Thomas Edison brought electricity into the light. Today's scientists will bring about tomorrow's new technology. It isn't just in the field of electronics that we are making amazing progress. Just 50 years ago the calculator was a cumbersome and expensive piece of office equipment. It involved pushing several rows of keys, pulling a lever, and waiting several minutes for the computation. Today we can buy a solar calculator with basic functions at the dollar store.

We need to encourage our young scientists to continue to expand their imagination. Science fairs have been a means of bringing out new and fresh ideas that have opened up the robotic and artificial intelligence age.Air conditioning has been a rather recent invention in terms of centuries and is almost universally used today. Space flight is so precise that we can photograph and see far distant bodies from outer space.

Science fiction has become science fact. We take for granted that people are living on stations in outer space. We have learned to split the atom and understand the human cell. DNA has become the fingerprint of human origins. We learned in science class that our food and life are the result of sunshine. Photosynthesis converts the sun's energy into usable food (fuel). We are just learning to understand electricity. When we understand solar energy, we will be able to provide most of our energy needs. Magnetism, gravitation, and polarity are other areas we need to explore deeper.

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