Inventor claims solar energy discovery that is game-changer - Luxury Coach Lifestyles
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 05-13-2013, 03:34 AM   #1
MrE
Senior Member
 
MrE's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Boise Idaho
Posts: 719
Default Inventor claims solar energy discovery that is game-changer

In a U.S. patent application, a Maryland man says his breakthrough will end the planet's reliance on fossil fuel.

By GREG GORDON — STATESMAN WASHINGTON BUREAUWASHINGTON - Ronald Ace says that his flat-panel "Solar Traps," which could be used in electric power plants, will shatter decades-old scientific and technological barriers that have stymied efforts to make solar energy a cheap, clean and reliable alternative.

"This is a fundamental scientific and environmental discovery," Ace said. "This invention can meet about 92 percent of the world's energy needs." The transformation also could blunt global warming.

His claimed discoveries, which exist only on paper so far, would represent such a leap forward that they are sure to draw deep skepticism from solar energy experts. But a recently retired congressional energy adviser who has reviewed the invention's still-secret design, said it's "a no brainer" that the device would vastly outperform all other known solar technology.


'OUTSIDE THE BOX'


Ace said he is arranging for a national energy laboratory to review his calculations and that his own crude prototypes already have demonstrated that the basic physics for the invention work.

If the trap even comes close to meeting his futuristic vision, its impact could be breathtaking: It could reorder the world's energy landscape, end the global economic drag of soaring energy costs, and eventually curb greenhouse gas emissions that are blamed for climate change.

That all might sound rather rosy, since the previously undisclosed invention has yet to be constructed and fully tested. But John Darnell, a scientist and the former congressional aide who has monitored Ace's dogged research for more than three years and has reviewed his complex calculations, has no doubts.

"Anybody who is skilled in the art and understands what he's proposing is going to have this dumbfounding reaction: 'Oh, well it's obvious it'll work,' " said Darnell, a biochemist with an extensive background in thermodynamics.

"Ron has turned conventional wisdom about solar on its head," he said. "He thinks outside the box."

An independent inventor working from his home outside the nation's capital, Ace said that his filing culminated years of research into ways to efficiently capture and store solar energy.

In recent interviews and redacted excerpts from his patent application, he said that his invention can be used to retrofit conventional nuclear- or fossil fuel-fired power plants to produce electricity at about 2 cents per kilowatt-hour. That alone would be a staggering advance, slashing the average wholesale cost of power by two-thirds and the cost of solar energy by up to ninefold - estimates that Ace called conservative.


JUST THE BEGINNING


A separate rooftop version, which Ace believes ultimately will power most homes and businesses, would initially provide cheap heating and hot water. Soon, he said, equipment for those traps will be able to convert solar energy to electricity, air conditioning and, if enough panels are installed, to produce excess energy to sell to utility companies. Consumers will be able to reap enough savings on their utility bills to recover their costs within two to four years, a performance that far surpasses photovoltaic solar panels that are gaining a market toehold worldwide, Ace said.


CHEAP STORAGE


His traps also could, for the first time, provide a viable way to operate power plants by collecting energy above 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit - the heat needed to drive the turbines that generate electricity. Such high-temperature plants would significantly top the efficiency of conventional nuclear-, coal- and gas-powered plants, further reducing costs, he said.

Higher-temperature collection in all of these uses, he said, would overcome one of the tallest barriers to a solar age: the inability to develop cheap, long-term storage of thermal energy from the sun. Ace said that his invention would allow weeks of high-temperature storage at one-tenth to one-hundredth of the current cost, meaning that solar power systems could generate electricity uninterrupted during lengthy stints of cloudy weather.

His traps will be so efficient that they can be used even in less sunny regions, he said.


MAKING HISTORY?


Until Ace shares his secrets, produces a working prototype, licenses a major project or wins the blessing of a peer review panel, he may get little credence.

"There are few cases in history where people come up with something which is totally unexpected," said Ramamoorthy Ramesh, a former head of the U.S. Energy Department's Sunshot solar program, tasked to spur solar energy innovation. "Who knows? It may actually be correct. But I'm an experimentalist. And until it's proven, I don't believe it."

If Ace is making history, his invention may stand alongside the introduction of the steam engine 300 years ago that set the stage for the Industrial Revolution.

Ace said that confidentiality agreements are being signed so that solar experts at the Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M., can review his invention. He already has confided details to former President Jimmy Carter, who created the Energy Department in 1977 with a mission of sponsoring "transformative science and technology solutions." Former U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett of Maryland, who was Darnell's boss and has championed Ace's search for investors, has called the inventor "a genius."


ALL ABOUT EFFICIENCY


A major stumbling block for solar thermal energy devices invented to date has been that, as temperatures rise, increasing amounts of energy escape, or radiate away, from their receivers. At 1,650 degrees Fahrenheit, currently designed receivers would radiate as much energy as they collect, sinking their efficiency to zero, solar experts say.

In his patent application, Ace wrote that his invention amounts to "a high-temperature blackbody absorber" that is "similar in some ways to an astronomical black hole."

The key, he said, is his trap's ability to absorb nearly 100 percent of the sunshine that hits it, while allowing only a tiny percentage of energy to escape, even at ultra-high temperatures.

Such a feat would astound many solar experts, who have had little success combating radiation losses in pilot solar plants, which use fields of mirrors to redirect and concentrate sunlight on common receivers.

Ace said that he contacted five national laboratories during his research, floating his interpretations of physics laws or double-checking his methodology on complex math equations without divulging his invention.

Darnell, who is barred by a confidentiality agreement from revealing its details, said that even if the solar trap "comes up way short, it's going to be way ahead of the competition."

Inventor claims solar energy discovery that is game-changer | Nation/World News | Idahostatesman.com


__________________

__________________
Jon & Chris Everton
1986 40' Dog House #86
0 hp 8V92 Allison HT740
Soon to be 500hp ISM with ZF 6 Speed
MrE is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2013, 06:25 AM   #2
SharkRacing
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 59
Default

Is this too good to be true? I sure hope not as I'm totally ready for something like this. Thank you for sharing this news.
__________________

__________________
SR

2005 45' Quad Slide
Featherlite Enclosed

The rest is too long to list.
SharkRacing is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2013, 03:01 PM   #3
Gone Busing
Senior Member
 
Gone Busing's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: West Fargo
Posts: 129
Default

Now this is really thinking outside the box and I will buy stock the day it goes public.
__________________
Jay & Shannon Nichols

Comparing Luxury Motor Coaches
Gone Busing is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2013, 05:10 PM   #4
1993Newell
Senior Member
 
1993Newell's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: The U S of A!
Posts: 368
Default

"This invention can meet about 92 percent of the world's energy needs." Wow that is amazing. I hope to see this in the future.
__________________
Ed and Melba Covack

1993 Newell Coach Motorhome
1993Newell is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2013, 07:28 PM   #5
NewellCrazy
Senior Member
 
NewellCrazy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Sugarland, TX or Salida,CO
Posts: 1,867
Default

Now that is amazing. Question being will this technology actually be released or will it end up being suppressed just like many other inventions in the name of profits.
__________________
Sean

If Ain't a Newell, It Ain't Wurt Oonin!
NewellCrazy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2013, 11:20 PM   #6
Neweller
Senior Member
 
Neweller's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Heartland
Posts: 3,563
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by NewellCrazy View Post
Now that is amazing. Question being will this technology actually be released or will it end up being suppressed just like many other inventions in the name of profits.
Maybe this is why this guy Ace shared and confided with his boss who obviously must have helped hook him up with Carter and some others to help protect by revealing to trusted individuals. I'm only guessing here and want to believe that something this big could actually come to true fruition and save the day. I truly hope this becomes reality as way too many great ideas and inventions have been suppressed for too long. The thugs have got to loose once in a while.

I could only imagine the revenue something like this could create for this country. Really if you think about it, the patent being an honest trustworthy US citizen caring enough to give and not worried only about the take, could help put the whole world on a brighter track while allowing the USA to be the soul developer of the technology putting us back on top for the long haul. This is what I would envision.

Also, it would relieve the demand for crude oil and natural gas and so on....

This is bigger than Microsoft and others...
__________________
Ken
Previous Owner of 3 Newell's
Wanted: Newell Coach Needing Engine Replacement!
If you want to sell, PM or Private Message me. Thanks!


"I know I’m not perfect, and I don't live to be. But before you start pointing fingers, make sure your hands are clean."
-Bob Marley
Neweller is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2013, 12:21 AM   #7
Wheeler
Member
 
Wheeler's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 69
Default

Last year I was just reading how solar was taking a dump. But if this is a game changer to keep it in the game I'd like to see it happen. I agree with Ken the revenue it could create for our country. We need it!
__________________

Wheeler is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Meanwhile at the border rellick Off-Topic Discussions & Humor 7 04-22-2013 12:45 AM
Injector Sizes on Detroit Diesel 6V92 2StrokeDiesel General Technical Discussion 2 04-15-2013 03:07 PM
Coach 709 in Quartzite ccjohnson Coach Spotter! 6 01-20-2013 01:06 AM
Hostess Maneuver Deprived Wages That Were Supposed To Help Fund Employee Pensions NewellCrazy Off-Topic Discussions & Humor 2 12-11-2012 11:29 PM
Water Heater Issue Retired Phil General Technical Discussion 0 10-23-2006 04:10 PM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Newell Coach Corporation or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT. The time now is 01:18 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
×