Re: A good debate which of the big three was the worst
Posted by Chris in Tampa on 11/18/2017, 10:01 pm
I don't know how it works, but some devices can be charged when placed on a special surface. It has to be in either direct or maybe close contact. So you can build a counter where you can simply leave your phone on it and it will charge. But that requires close contact. About that and more:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_power_transfer

It seems wireless electricity could have some really high costs, such as if beaming it from space. It seems like lasers wouldn't work well, so microwaves would be the way to go, but you would have to beam it in a way that didn't hurt people. The second link below talks about that some. But you would need a massive amount of solar panels in space. A lot of technical challenges to overcome. But from the information I see, you would need to collect it and then covert it to power than can be used as electricity. You would need a centralized place to do that I assume. I don't know how much it would cost, if possible, to convert microwaves received at your home to power than can be used in your home.

Article from 2015 about microwave tests on land:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/green-tech/solar/japan-demoes-wireless-power-transmission-for-spacebased-solar-farms
From 2014:
https://spectrum.ieee.org/green-tech/solar/how-japan-plans-to-build-an-orbital-solar-farm
And an article from 2009 said this is part of a $21 billion long term project:
https://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-09/japan-wants-power-300000-homes-wireless-power-space

I do see some mention elsewhere of how would you meter it too if you did receive it directly at your home, but I don't know how possible it is to get it direct at your home.

Underground utilities are great if new developments plan ahead. I think it's worth the effort. It costs a lot later on. The neighborhood next to me is thinking about doing that and it's very expensive. My neighborhood already has underground lines, but outside the neighborhood they are above ground, so we're still subject to such things as trees falling on lines or cars hitting a pole and knocking out power.

I think this is great for the future for many homes:
https://www.tesla.com/solarroof
It generates electricity using special solar tiles. Millions of homes could take advantage of that with a cost that isn't too much when you consider the savings over the long term and how prices would probably come down more eventually. It has a high upfront cost, but might even pay for itself if you live in a house long enough. If you enter your address on that page and then the square footage of your home, along with how many stories, you can get an estimate of the cost and savings. It also depends on how durable it is though, but it does have a warranty for the lifetime of your house. This could even work for small apartment buildings that are only a couple of stories.

I think some of the future will involve a lot of people relying on generating their own electricity and not worrying about power lines. The technology needs to be proven and get less expensive for more to see the benefits though. Of course this wouldn't work as well in places that have less sunlight.
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A good debate which of the big three was the worst - jimw, 11/14/2017, 7:36 am
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