The Kubik Plan: power storage and synergistic community and urban planning

Since the Nobles are being given out this week, I’ll do things a little simpler this time around and share my noble idea right away as opposed to after dressing it up with the nice graphics I had planned.

My main idea is this: combine solar, wind and hydro power on community level to provide renewable energy. In simple terms it goes like this:

In a closed smart grid of ANY size:

1.) wind power provides energy at all times but not all the time - hence power storage makes it much more efficient
2.) solar power provides energy during daylight
3.) hydro power provides energy whenever needed - especially if the fluid is in an artificial container.
4.) smart grid with a command control system determines the energy redistribution in the grid and excess power is used to pump fluid back up into the CLOSED hydro generator serving as a potential energy storage device (i.e. stores extra energy generated by wind and solar).
5.) when peek demand exceeds the current power level generated by solar and wind - such as during a windless night - hydro generates the required energy (this fluid is then pumped back into the reservoir when power generation exceeds power demand, so only a set amount of fluid is required).

This takes care of a sustainable renewable clean energy source for a community of any size. The system can be added to existing grids in stages or can be built as part of new infrastructure along with the grid for communities that are being developed.

Human waste should be used for fertilizer and as a source of fuel as in these Oxfordshire homes.

Smart electricity grids should be concurrently developed with high speed internet infrastructure taking Chatanooga as a model.

Urban planning should take into account local geographic features and climatic conditions. Those factors in synergy with
  1. a smart electric grid
  2. a basket of sustainable renewable energy sources
  3. a recycling program for human waste and garbage
  4. driver-less autonomous public transportation system (both car and rail) prioritizing pedestrians and cyclists
  5. local farming of fruits,  vegetables and synthetic meat
  6. local tourism and recreation

The final element is enclosing such a sustainable non polluting community to form a closed ecosystem. This can be done in a variety of ways - most immediate that comes to mind is a bio-dome enclosure, but it could be anything from underground, underwater, transparently roofed canyon settlement, canopied skyscrapers in a large city or even an air filled bubble in space formed around interconnected space station modules.

To avid science fiction readers I am all too transparent, but to those not in the know my point is this: not only such communities ensure the survivability of humans during global disasters on Earth (pandemics, asteroid impacts, nuclear wars etc) but more importantly they allow the colonization of a large number of places in the solar system: the Moon, Mars, Europa, various asteroids, or space in orbit of anything in the solar system where enough sunshine reaches to power the settlement.

Comments

kuffodog said…
October 15th, 2010 at 1:41 pm

I just watched Silent Running and have further reviewed the utility of closed ecosystems/biospheres. Considering humanity’s extremely predatory and parasitic nature in respect to its environment, I no longer believe that developing such closed ecosystems will be beneficial to the survival of the Earth’s biosphere and it may actually help trigger an apocalyptic nuclear war event, since one of the parties involved (say one that possesses closed ecosystem shelters) would be more predisposed to begin such a conflict. Of course that is subject to change, should the psychology of the human civilization become more benign.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oani3-RDvHw&feature=related

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Running
kuffodog said…
November 27th, 2010 at 12:53 am

OK, I’ll put it in the simplest terms possible:

COAL = BAD
SOLAR = GOOD

This is a great model that every single parking lot next to a building that mostly uses electricity during daytime should follow: In California, Carports That Can Generate Electricity

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/26/science/earth/26parking.html

Virtually all the energy that the Earth gets comes from the Sun. Wind is air heated by the Sun. Oil, gas, and coal are chemical energy trapped from the Sun by plants in a process that takes millions of years. All the heavy elements for nuclear power are from the previous Sun that blew up and formed into the Earth and the present Sun (this took billions of years). Now you can cut through the multi billion or multi million year process in two ways: nuclear fusion or solar power. Solar is available, scalable, economically viable and at the present is immediately available courtesy of the Sun. I mean how stupid are humans to use forms of energy that take millions or billions of years to form as opposed to simply take what is abundant, universal, made continuously and gets here in about 8 minutes?

The MIT Energy Initiative: Sustainable Energy and Terawatt-Scale Photovoltaics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avIwcswZn2I
kuffodog said…
November 27th, 2010 at 1:42 am

Here is your potential energy storage device: flow battery (technology developed by NASA in the 1970’s) developed and now going into production by Deeya Energy

http://www.youtube.com/user/GoogleTechTalks#p/u/254/GbLRKN3srUs

http://www.deeyaenergy.com/contact/
kuffodog said…
February 18th, 2011 at 3:31 am

The largest net-zero energy office building in the nation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/science/15building.html
kuffodog said…
April 10th, 2011 at 11:06 pm

Last year the Deepwater Horizon oil spill went on from April 20th until finally it was sealed on the 19th of September 2010. After the oil industry wiped out the Gulf of Mexico on the Atlantic side, the sins of greed in the Japanese nuclear sector come to fruition with another ongoing ecocide that started on March 11th, 2011… with no end in sight. This time instead of oil being pumped, the Pacific is being served a steady diet of radioactive toxic nuclear waste. Well, if BP wasn’t able to contain that disaster until Professor Chew personally designed the technology able to do so… maybe he can help out TEPCO as well! If these aren’t the tipping point arguments for massive effort to convert to clean renewable energy sources and a strong drive for nuclear fusion … humans deserve to go extinct.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bp_oil_spill

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_I_nuclear_accidents

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Chu
kuffodog said…
April 30th, 2011 at 5:16 pm

The Kubik Plan in action: the first totally energy self sufficient land mass - el Hierro! Damn, if it wasn’t a volcano I’d move there…

http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2067716,00.html
kuffodog said…
June 13th, 2011 at 2:43 am

Here is another synergized approach, this time from GE: combining solar, wind and natural gas. Why isn’t GE doing projects like this in the United States… and don’t tell me that this is the reason: “The new technology is aimed at countries that use 50 hertz electricity (the United States uses 60 hertz)”, I’m not a gullible 7 year old.

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/424223/ge-combines-natural-gas-wind-and-solar/
kuffodog said…
June 13th, 2011 at 3:30 am

…and while the rest of the World looks to the future and goes full EV power ahead… well with some regular setbacks, but still ahead… when are we going to see that happening with motorcycle racing? Oh wait, in about a week or so: Three regional championships with one TTXGP World Final. I’m not even going to comment on the avalanche of complaints when the Polish Motorcycle speedway community was told to use new exhaust systems. How about no exhaust, no stench, and low noise level at the speedway? Anybody think of that? Even Formula 1 is making attempts to reduce fuel consumption and use newer technology, well it should actually move toward an all electric solution but I’m patient, I can wait a few more years. Complaining on the other hand, about technology that makes motorcycles better, now that is completely absurd.

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1060319_evcup-gets-delayed-electric-car-racing-series-to-debut-late-2011-breaking

http://www.earthtechling.com/2011/04/electric-motorcycle-goes-190-mph/
kuffodog said…
July 2nd, 2011 at 9:33 am

Combining solar, wind and … geothermal air turbine storage. NICE!

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-06-29/as-energy-demand-accelerates-arpa-e-bets-on-caves-biofuels

https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/sustainx-to-merge-with-general-compression-abandon-above-ground-caes-ambiti
kuffodog said…
January 4th, 2012 at 6:37 am

From Reuters, New tech trend for 2012 and beyond:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-investing-energy/new-tech-trend-for-2012-and-beyond-idUSTRE8021HR20120103

There is long-term growth in convergent technologies that integrate the Internet, green transportation, building-based micro-power plants and power distribution into a collaborative worldwide grid, according to author and consultant Jeremy Rifkin, founder of the Foundation on Economic Trends.

Sounds ominously like the Kubik plan. Excellent idea :D


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