Well, it was kind've a general post, but the gist is...
The Segway (Kamen's new toy) is really just a delivery vehicle. He realized his improvements on the Stirling engine (a very efficient engine, perhaps the MOST efficient) would be unlikely to be adopted by major auto firms. So he prepared this as a means of distribution and demonstration.
Interesting concept. Then I started reading more about the engine itself. Fascinating stuff. Completely overlooked technology for years....and Kamen is rapidly innovating it.
Imagine being able to generate your own household energy for pennies a day. Conceivably, that's what this can do. Edison concentrated on DC electricity because it's the micro generation concept that he supported, not the big capacity generators. He felt that controlling your own energy needs was more beneficial. And he's right. Decentralized energy is much cheaper and easier to manage.
Think, if this is all true, of the benefits for Less Developed Nations. If cheaper energy is available for them, then alot of their issues begin to dissipate. Less fossil fuel burning (that's a big deterrent to more development on this...LOL) would help the supposed "greenhouse effect" (yes, I'm a skeptic, but a cautious one).
The benefits, if Kamen's work is accurate and can be scaled, are tremendous. Spend some time thinking about it and its applications. Fascinating. It can be, conceivably, the internet for energy.
Enron had the right idea, but at the wrong time...LOL (a bit of levity here, please....although decentralized energy will need more Enron-type energy trading firms). |
