![]() Yes, it’s far away, but distance doesn’t prevent its use, particularly when we consider just how cold the vast empty space of the universe is-approximately 3 kelvins. The coldness of deep space is a thermodynamic resource, and largely untapped. With so much energy available from heat, we’ve ignored another source of power: cold. Today, the art of turning heat from burning gas, nuclear fission, Earth’s core, the sun, and other sources into useful energy underpins modern life. As the technology improves, we see it enabling solar panels that work at night as well as day, powering remote sensors.įrom the time the first humans learned to harness fire, people have manipulated heat to do their bidding. But we have demonstrated that by directly using power generated by the cold universe, we can chill water to cool buildings by as much as 5 ✬ during the day without electricity and light the night without wires or batteries. Sound crazy? Admittedly, this technology isn’t fully available just yet. Rather, the panels reach far beyond Earth’s atmosphere to tap the distant cold of deep space. That cold isn’t in the air around the building-the night is warm. ![]() On the rooftop of a quiet building, a set of panels cools the rooms within and keeps the lights on, removing heat and generating electricity using the coldness of the sky. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |