Guest Post 3: Energy Innovations for Energy Security & SDG7

Guest Post by Venkatesh R.

Editor's Note: SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy is a key factor in facilitating development and improving quality of life. Constant innovation is vital in the quest to find newer, cleaner and cheaper sources of energy for sustainable development. Venkat highlights some innovations that help facilitate this quest for and access to "affordable and clean energy."

When It Comes to Saving Energy

Your Kinetic Energy to Electricity while working out - a la the Free Electric bike of Manoj Bargava but on a schievable scale: Instead of having the treadmill connected to a power source, a device to power it up like you would an electric bike to move the belt which in turn has your kinetic energy producing electricity will be a boon. Your workout could power-up batteries. In gyms and in homes if such a gadget is introduced then it's a win-win. Gyms will generate power instead of consuming it. 

Use Graphite in High Voltage Application as the Resistance Is Least

Use of graphite with solar cells to store the energy, probably more energy will be collected and stored.

 

Piezo Electricity for Street Lighting

Sound energy can be used to power up the street lights. In a major stage events where a lot of sound systems are been used, in the main road during the high traffic times as the energy been generated and been used within the place by charging the capacitors or some medium, the distribution loss are minimized.. So the distribution losses can be avoided. This can be done by using Piezo Electric devices.

Solar Panel Orientation 

 We have street lights powered by solar panel above the light, if we can place that panel, below the light; I feel there will be more energy but more research is needed to assess feasibility, because it is visible light that charges photovoltaic cells. So during the night as well they can be charged, though it is based on intensity mainly efficiency of such setup needs to be checked. Another way to improve productivity of solar panels is to use the wiper motors to change the orientations based on the sun's movement in sky, but mobile panels will more costly and you need to factor in replacement costs for wear and tear.

Drone-Based Energy

Self-powered drone, Flights with graphite-based solar panel body. As wind energy and solar energy are best at the higher altitude if they can be harvested from drones or even with passenger flights a lot of power can be generated, with so many flights flying across the world a small experiment on flights can prove to be useful.

River Horizontal Turbines

Sloping Architecture: harness energy of flowing water by constructing horizontal turbines across the river where it slopes. These horizontal turbines can use tangential forces and generate clean energy.

Guest Contributor Bio

Venkatesh R. is a Science and Social issues blogger with 10+ years of experience in the IT industry. Venkat is on a mission to create a better world for children. Venkat has won the "Beyond the Armchair" challenge conducted by the Red Elephant Foundation (REF), has contributed a number of articles in Voices of Youth, and has shared a number of ideas in climatecolab.org innovation labs, UNHSCR, GPY2015 and Openideo forums for the past 6 years. His writings and ideas can be accessed at: http://vramanusocialthoughts.blogspot.com/ (Social Issues); https://fissionminded.blogspot.com/ (His writings to bring a change in society through art as a medium); Science Blogs: http://randomthoughtsofvramanu.blogspot.com/  https://vramanu.blogspot.com/

Other Guest Posts by Venkatesh on the Sunshine Millennium Blog

https://sunshine-millennium.blogspot.com/2019/03/guest-post-2-save-water.html 

https://sunshine-millennium.blogspot.com/2019/03/guest-post-human-security.html