Tomorrow’s Engineers

Finding and developing practical ways to provide the energy needed for modern technical societies on a sustainable basis without disrupting the environment is the most important problem confronting the coming generation of engineers and scientists. Among the proposed energy sources, two of which (solar and wind) are used by the dandelion to grow and disperse its seeds are:

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• Wind energy
• Earth-based solar thermal concentrators and photovoltaic solar cells
• Hydroelectric energy
• Biomass energy
• Geothermal energy
• Gulf stream, wave, and tidal energy
• Clean coal, in which the C02 is captured and stored ot recycled in a biomass energy plant
• Systems of nuclear fission reactors combined with hybrid fission/fusion reactors that burn the waste products of the fission reactors
• Nuclear fusion
• Hydrogen from water using sunlight aided by a catalyst
• Enhanced power grids may need to be built to distribute energy from some of these proposed solutions. Conservation must also play a part, possibly including:
  • More efficient power grids
  • Hybrid or electric vehicles
  • Better mass transportation for people
  • Hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicles
  • Efficient lighting
  • More/better rail systems in place of trucks and highways
  • Better building design
  • Better intelligence in energy consumption

  Regardless of which solutions ultimately emerge, it is certain that all of the topics discussed in this book will play important roles. For example, see the Practical Application concerning energy-storage systems for electric vehicles starting on page 100.