Science Forums 2

[erich]

The throughput efficiencies of delivered work is exactly the kind of improvements that I see in the applications nano-tech. Let's take your locomotive and apply Borealis's motors, Power Chips, and graphite hydrogen storage. If I were uncle al I'm sure I could give you the exact well to wheel efficiency of todays diesel electric locomotives, but let me guess say 25%,This Thermionic locomotive design would be over 50%. The same goes for tractors and freighters. Although Airfoil Clipper ships sound cool.( the sailing speed record will probably break 50 knots this year)

But also note that some of the nano PV cell approaches require less scarce and often extremely non-poisonous resources with low energy intensive extraction processes.

P-B11 fusion looks real clean ( a little dirty helium)

Heat loading can be dealt with in many ways, cogeneration with thermionic chips, salting iron in areas of the ocean for plankton blooms to eat co2.( 1 lb of iron could conceivably sequester 100,000 lbs of CO2)

Jenn:
Unfortunately, on the Internet you'll find huge numbers of moderately technical people trying to pass off stuff they've made up as amazing breakthroughs. Its everywhere -- new types of fusion (cold or hot), inertialess drives, antigravity, zero-point energy etc. None of it is real to me unless it passes the google scholar test.