I don’t think “zero-point energy” is being harnessed yet. 
If a house is to be self-sufficient with this stuff how does it power itself at night? Batteries? I have some experience with battery backup systems for computers and can say they are heavy, expensive and only last about three years before replacement. If I did my configuration correctly you’d need a $2500 UPS that would get you ~7.5 hours of runtime assuming 1000 watts/hour usage. The batteries in that thing weigh around 560 pounds and cost about $1000 to replace (so average out to about $333/year).
So, if it costs $1400 for the new solar panels (20% of the $7000 cited above) and $2500 for a big battery and $333/year averaged cost for new batteries I figure over 10 years this works out to about $60/month. Seems in line with current electric bills I pay but I wonder at the ability to get the batteries fully charged every day. Seems like you’d still want to be on the grid for winter months (those of us in far northern/southern latitudes) and particularly cloudy areas.
I am also thinking disposal of all those batteries if the world used them would be a serious environmental issue.
For my goofy addition to harnessing lost power I once considered that buildings with revolving doors should have a generator attached to them (although I suppose you could add a generator to a normal swing door too).
There’s tons of energy floating around, like in space…
Where do you think lightning comes from, clouds rubbing together?
It’s everywhere… everywheeeeere.
batteries:
as far as I know, UPS batteries used to ensure computer operation are not of the type that home-or-larger-scale solar projects would utilize. Newer technologies for those applications are here or coming, although only time will tell where or when they are economically viable.
solar:
as for that south african breakthrough, the article gives very few details of the technology, and the claims made are thus very hard to evaluate. thin-film (ie non-silicon-based) cells exist already, but they operate at much lower efficiecies than silicon-based panels… As far as I can tell, the only claims the SAicans are making have to do with the high solar radiation received in their neck of the woods, not the efficiency of their process.
wind: anyone concerned about the effects of harnessing “too much” wind needs a reality check. the mid-west states alone have enough wind to power the US many times over, and enough harnessable wind to easily power the country. the problem lies in capital costs: construction, distribution, power reliability and energy storage.
same goes for almost any type of waste energy recovery.
this is my first post, so don’t flame me if i missed something in the thread.
-dra
ps. if you care about energy as much as i do, have a look at my thesis…
upon further research, the SAicans seems to be claiming about $1.50/watt (which is obviously amazing for energy production in general, let alone solar) at almost exactly the same efficiencies as silicon-based panels. too bad they won’t start producing it for a year and a half. does anyone know if all of the components of their silicon-replacement (copper indium gallium selenium sulphide or Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2) are really that widely available? (I don’t)
Sorry for the double post. do i have to subscribe before they let me edit posts?
-dra
What’s being done to harvest the methane-fuel potential of human and animal flatulence?
Nope…no editing of posts for anyone. It definitely can be annoying but they have their reasons (mostly so you have to stand by your statements rather than modifying them at some later time if they become inconvenient).
Sign-up…it is worth it (and no, I do not work for or own stock in the Chicago Reader).
although my roommates occassionally try to light their farts on fire, methane recovery from dairies and other agri-business is actually at the level ofnear-cost competitiveness. or were you really looking for an answer?
-dra
Ali G asked Ralph Nader that once. Apparently they have trouble fitting the bag over the cow’s asshole.
I was going to mention wave energy but someone already did. Fusion may be plausible but not anytime right now.
No, but that is interesting. Kinda grotesque to think about, but once you’re use to the idea of milking machines, not so much.
Slight hijack, from that South African link (emphasis mine):
What do they mean by geyser?
My guess is that it’s what they call the shower.
No, a water heater. Specifically, one that heats the water at the point of use, not for storage. My grandfolks had one.
The old man what puts coal in the boiler!. Naah, seriously, it’s a hot water heater, usually a in-roof gravity feed one.
My Bolding
If by that bolded bit, you mean at the tap (faucet), then no, that’s not it. It’s a big tank in the roof controlled by thermostat.
Pretty much. Wiki says Indium was US$94/Kg, and Canada produced more than 31,100 kg in 1997. Remember, we are talking about a Thin Film technology here, probably milligrams per panel.
As near as I can tell, worldwide Ga production is around 80t/y, but can ramp up as demand increases. It’s mostly a byproduct of aluminium production.
Ironically, that piece of Wiki you quote is … um… me, after spending about 2 hours reading about all those elements and finding the galllium entry lacking. (note the reference to the researchers from this thread, although in my research I disovered that gallium seems to be used in many thin-film technologies)
Back to waste heat–how tough would it be to recover waste heat from massive cooling operations (grocery stores, office building A/Cs, etc.) to heat (or at least pre-heat) domestic hot water? A hippy-dippy farm grocery near me allegedly does this, and I’ve been meaning to ask them how it works and how well it works. Anyone have first-hand knowledge?
THIS GUY managed it.
You know, we never see his parents in the film. And we’ve never seen Cecil Adams in the same place as that guy’s Dad. I wonder…