The world has seen an increase in environmental pollution over the years. This can be in the form of plastic, water, or air pollution.
All forms of pollution have disastrous effects on the environment. One of the most notable effects is climate change.
Climate changeGlobal warming, also known as heat trapping gases, is caused by heat trapped gases produced by energy plants and machinery.
One way to stop this is to invent energy inventions that don’t produce gasses that harm the environment.
1. Sand Energy Storage
Fossil fuels is one of the most important sources of heat-trapping gases.
Fossil fuels refer to fuels that are made from substances that emit harmful chemicals into air, such as coal.
Along with the efforts to eliminate fossil fuels (the United States plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050), sand storage is being tested to replace energy storage systems that pollute our environment.
This storage system stores excess energy that is not being used at the moment from sun or wind and stores it for future use in super-hot silicasands.
This storage method is affordable as sand can be found all over the world. If it is adopted worldwide, it will play an important role in moving the world towards net-zero emission.
This invention is already being perfected in many countries, including the Energy Storage and High-Efficiency Power Cycles (ENDURING) and the one conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
2. Gravity Battery
Gravity battery is much cheaper than its chemical counterparts. It lifts a lot of weight when it has energy stored in it. The weight starts to drop when it releases the energy.
In 2012, the prototype for this storage system was released.
A gravity battery is a combination of weight, a tube and a coil.
Gravity batteries offer so many benefits that chemical batteries cannot. They last for an unlimited amount of time, don’t need to be maintained, are always available, and are extremely safe for the environment.
Gravity batteries use tubes that are inserted into the ground. The tubes are used to store energy such as solar energy and provide energy almost immediately when it is needed.
A simple gravity battery is usually made up of one tube. But, if it has two or more tubes, it can store and supply energy simultaneously.
3. Rust Battery (Iron-Air Battery).
Instead of trying to invent things that are harmful to the environment using our knowledge of chemistry, it is better that we use the knowledge that we have about chemical processes to create something which will help us reach zero net emissions.
Rust Battery is purely the application of chemical knowledge to our advantage.
Iron is the primary raw material for this battery. However, iron can rust so scientists have devised a way of making it more efficient.
The anode in a rust battery is made of iron pellets. On the other side, you will find an air-breathing cathode.
This battery stores energy in the form of hydrogen ions when it is full.
When it’s time to charge the battery, the iron will turn to rust due to the reaction of oxygen with electrolytes.
This battery offers energy security and recycling.
4. Liquid Air Battery
A liquid air battery is a form of energy storage that has virtually no effect on the environment. It works by using liquefied oxygen.
The process of storing energy in this battery is simple. Electricity is used to cool the air and this continues until it liquefies.
The liquid form of air is then stored in tanks where it is converted into gaseous (the liquid is exposed to the ambient air and made gaseous) and used for electricity generation.
The main benefit of this battery is its ability to not pollute the environment as it even uses air to function. Additionally, it lasts a lot longer than the lithium ion battery.
This battery is made up three processes. They include charging the system to draw oxygen from the environment, then storing it in an insulated container at low pressure. Then, the liquid air is converted to gas by pumping the pressure to high and using it to power turbines that produce electricity.
5. Bladeless Wind Turbines
Wind energy is one the most safe forms of energy generation. It has even been improved with the invention the bladeless turbine.
Bladeless wind turbines don’t have rotating blades like traditional wind turbines. Instead, they use resonant vibrations for power generation.
This technology is more closely related than the traditional wind turbines to the generation of solar energy because it operates on low power systems and is autonomous.
Bladeless wind turbines have no environmental impact, unlike traditional wind turbines which can sometimes have adverse effects on the environment. It has a very sleek design that doesn’t require much maintenance and is also extremely easy to maintain.
This consists of a fixed mast and a mast which acts as a cantilever.
This type of turbine uses a linear alternator to convert mechanical energy into electricity.
Engineer, Founder of funsided.com| Engineer and Founder of funsided.com
