What would be special power generating techniques that are of special interest to communications and military applications?

Hi to all,

I'm kinda of researching this right now and seeing what techniques will be good for the future. Things I found:

-Fuel cells. Good because hydrogen can be produced, no pollution, silent, good efficiency.
-Thermoelectric generators (TEGs). I think they are cool because heat is everywhere and be harvested from many things. They are used in communications satellites and space shuttles.
-Graphene batteries. Good because they offer higher electrical conductivity and faster charging.
-Alkali metal thermal to electric converter: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/er.1584 . Looks good from the abstract from the paper in this link
-Micropower. Is this really a thing? They fabricate a real generator into silicon by making very small and tiny? Very interesting if true!
-Thermoionic converters. Again, good because heat is essentially everywhere so better use it than waste it.

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-Wireless power transfer. I saw this being researched as a way to charge soldier equipment and UAV's. Does this really have a future? In terms of efficiency that is?
-Superconductors. Very very cool and promising but not very practical outside the lab because of the very low temps required.



Is there a power technology that is of particular importance to communications and military uses that I missed and you know about?

Thanks.

All energy (mainly) comes from the sun. Tidal energy being the exception, coming from the earth. Batteries of any description just store it. Calling one technology pollution free is just wrong. They're just storing energy, not producing it.

Mike.
Edit, nuclear is another source of energy.

Pommie said:

All energy (mainly) comes from the sun. Tidal energy being the exception, coming from the earth.

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From the moon surely? - or at least the interaction of the moon upon the earth.

Tides are caused by the moon but the energy comes from the earth. The moon is speeding up and will eventually leave orbit, so gaining energy. Earth is slowing but I'll never see it.

Mike

Pommie said:

All energy (mainly) comes from the sun. Tidal energy being the exception, coming from the earth. Batteries of any description just store it. Calling one technology pollution free is just wrong. They're just storing energy, not producing it.

Mike.
Edit, nuclear is another source of energy.

Click to expand...

Well, I meant electricity generation. There are certainly ways that are cleaner than others.

So, what are the clean ways?

Mike.

Pommie said:

So, what are the clean ways?

Mike.

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???

Solar/wind power is cleaner than electricity generated by conventional power plants.

And both generated by the sun! Learn a little science.

Mike.

Who said they are not?

I said all (most) energy comes from the sun and you suggested that wind and solar are an exception !

Mike.
Edit, just for clarity, both come from the sun.

Are you making fun of me? I never said such a thing or even close to it. All I said was: There are ways to generate electricity that are cleaner than others.

This thread is going south. Never mind. You can close it Uncle Nigel...

You don't understand that all energy comes from the sun?

I clearly remember from elementary school that fossil fuels were formed millions of years ago, the criminal was the sun. I wonder if we are ganna turn into fossil fuels after we are buried underground millions of years from now.

The sun is why you exist, why do you call it a criminal? Would you rather you didn't exist?

Just a strong word of the culprit in creating organisms. Are you an atheist? You don't believe in God? Who created the sun?

Wow, didn't expect that, guess you're thicker than I expected. Oh well, have a nice life.

Mike.

I'm a very normal person looking for unknown unpopular not yet common but promising ideas in creating electricity for military applications and communications. That's it.

And what level of power are you looking for? To recharge batteries in an electric tank, or to charge batteries in a communication device (cell phone) when someone is out in the battlefield?

you can look at anything from a hand-cranked generator (and various other human mechanically sounds generators), a paddle wheel Along a stream, wind devices, tidal generators, various forms of Solar, various electrochemical batteries (oxidizing Metal), thermoelectric (requires a warming or cooling surface), nuclear (radioisotope generator)....

Pommie said:

And both generated by the sun! Learn a little science.

Mike.

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why should he need to "learn a little science"? As I read the thread, it looks like you "learned a little science" but just a little - and now you want to pretend others have not. Nowhere in the OPs conversation did he want to exclude solar or claim the various electricity-generating techniques were not tied to the sun - only you seem to have a fetishized about that. Entertainyour other self Pommie, re-read the thread and then apologize to the OP.

gophert said:

a paddle wheel Along a stream,

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Interestingly I was in a 'show cave' the other year, and the guide was explaining that local caving club members are trying to expand the cave further, and as part of that work are using battery powered tools. He further explained that to get to where they are working is a long and arduous task, involving MUCH crawling through small spaces (been there, done that, I'm an ex-caver) and that it's VERY difficult to get equipment (such as charged batteries) to the site.

However, at the site, as is common in caves, there's running water - so they were trying to develop a water wheel powered charging system, to recharge their power tools and lights. This could obviously be left charging even when they aren't there, so would be an ideal solution. The main issue is a wheel sufficiently large enough, made in small enough pieces, to be transported through to the site and reassembled.

For those who haven't been cavers?, the 'standard' transport container tends to be ammunition boxes - and not ones for RPG's

As an ex-caver I was seriously interested, but the guide couldn't, or wouldn't give me contact details.

But I did think what a nice use for a water wheel.

Incidentally, prior to steam engines full size water wheels were often used underground for pumping water out - which I always fail to quite understand? - how can a water wheel provide enough power to pump out more water than it's using? (I can only assume that they pumped out from a lower level?, and the water they used drained out through a sough).