The gradual exhaustion of conventional energy sources is creeping out of human control. The result is that today we have run headlong into a situation of acute energy shortage. The way out is to use energy from the bounty of nature that is virtually impossible to exhaust. However, the only sources of renewable energy that have been used extensively are wind, sun and water. Let’s enrich our knowledge by learning about five unconventional sources of renewable energy.
London, New York, Paris – what do they all have in common? Apart from being among the world’s most energy-hungry cities, they all have underground subway systems. These public transport systems help millions of people each day to get to and from work, but what if they could also be used to help power these metropolises? Vycon Energy, who makes industrial flywheels, believes that they can tap the immense amount of kinetic energy carried by moving subway trains to subsidize city power systems. Not only would this reduce emissions, but it would also help to avoid peak power emergencies.
Vycon’s technology works in a similiar way to regenerative braking. Moving trains carry a lot of kinetic energy, and the company believes they can harness this energy whenever a train slows down at a station. By connecting a flywheel to the rail system, Vycon believes that the kinetic energy could be converted to electrical power. This electricity could then be used to get the train moving again – it is a system that has had been used with great success in hybrid vehicles. However trains would certainly generate a lot more energy then a Prius.
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