Ukuba luhlaza: Isinyathelo esilandelayo samandla esimeme navuselelekayo

Njengoba sibhekana nenqubekelaphambili esheshayo ekuthuthukisweni kwezobuchwepheshe kule minyaka eyishumi edlule, imibono nemizamo eminingi iyaqala ukuvela yokulwa nemiphumela yokushintsha kwesimo sezulu. Izifundo zezemfundo nezimboni, ngokwesibonelo, seziya ngokuya ziqaphela ukuthi izibaso ezimbiwa phansi ziyancipha ukusebenza futhi ngaleyo ndlela zizame ukuqhamuka nezinye izixazululo zamandla ezihlukile ezizinzile futhi ezivuselelekayo. Umzamo onjalo - njengoba ungase ucabange - wawungeke ube inqubo elula, kodwa umphumela uwufanele ekugcineni. Amaqembu amabili ahlukene adale ngempumelelo izinto eziqanjiwe ezingashintsha impilo maqondana nokudalwa kwamandla, ongazifunda ngemininingwane engezansi.

Njengenothi eseceleni, ngaphambi kokuthi siqhubeke, kubalulekile ukukhumbula ukuthi imibono yamandla esimeme futhi avuselelekayo - kuyilapho abelana ngokufana okuthile - kuma-cores empeleni ahlukile komunye nomunye. Amandla aqhubekayo anoma yiluphi uhlobo lwamandla olungadalwa futhi lusetshenziswe ngaphandle kokuba nomthelela omubi ezizukulwaneni ezizayo. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, amandla avuselelekayo amandla okungenzeka angaqediwe lapho esetshenziswa noma angavuselelwa kalula ngemva kokusetshenziswa. Zombili lezi zinhlobo azihambisani nemvelo, kodwa amandla esimeme angasetshenziswa ngokuphelele uma engalondoloziwe noma engagadiwe ngendlela efanele.

I-Google's Kite Powered Wind Farm

Kusuka kumdali wenjini yokusesha edume kakhulu emhlabeni kuza umthombo omusha wamandla aqhubekayo. Selokhu kwathengwa iMakani Power - isiqalo esizinikele ekucwaningeni amandla omoya - ngo-2013, i-Google X isebenze kuphrojekthi yayo entsha eqanjwe ngokufanele. Project Makani. I-Project Makani iyikhithi yamandla enkulu, engu-7.3m ubude engakhiqiza amandla amaningi kune-turbine evamile yomoya. I-Astro Teller, iNhloko ye-Google X ikholelwa ukuthi, "[uma] lokhu kusebenza njengokuklanywe, kungasheshisa ngokubonakalayo umnyakazo womhlaba wonke kumandla avuselelekayo.".

Kunezingxenye ezine ezibalulekile ze-Project Makani. Eyokuqala ikhayithi, efana nendiza ngokubukeka kwayo futhi inezindlu ezingu-8. Lawa ma-rotor asiza ukukhipha ikhayithi phansi futhi ifike endaweni yayo yokusebenza efanele. Ekuphakameni okulungile, ama-rotors azovala, futhi ukuhudula okudalwe kusuka emoyeni okuhamba phakathi kwama-rotors kuzoqala ukukhiqiza amandla okujikeleza. La mandla abe eseguqulwa abe ugesi. Ikhayithi indiza igxile ngenxa ye-tether, eyigcina ixhumeke esiteshini esingaphansi.

Ingxenye elandelayo yi-tether ngokwayo. Ngaphandle nje kokubamba ikhayithi phansi, i-tether iphinde idlulisele ugesi okhiqizwa esiteshini esingaphansi, kuyilapho ngesikhathi esifanayo idlulisela ulwazi lokuxhumana ku-kite. I-tether yenziwe ngentambo ye-aluminium conductive egoqwe nge-carbon fiber, iyenze ibe lula kodwa ibe namandla.

Okulandelayo kuza isiteshi esingaphansi. Isebenza njengendawo yokuxhumanisa phakathi kwekhayithi kanye nendawo yokuphumula lapho ikhayithi ingasetshenziswa. Le ngxenye iphinde ithathe isikhala esincane kune-turbine yomoya evamile ngenkathi iphathwa, ngakho-ke ingakwazi ukusuka endaweni iye endaweni lapho imimoya inamandla khona.

Ingxenye yokugcina ye-Project Makani uhlelo lwekhompyutha. Lokhu kuhlanganisa i-GPS nezinye izinzwa ezigcina ikhayithi ihamba ngendlela yayo. Lezi zinzwa ziqinisekisa ukuthi ikhayithi isezindaweni ezinomoya onamandla futhi ongaguquki.

Izimo ezifanele ze-Google X's Makani kite zisendaweni yokuphakama ecishe ibe phakathi kuka-140m (459.3 ft) kuya ku-310m (1017.1 ft) ngaphezu kwezinga eliphansi kanye nesivinini somoya esingaba ngu-11.5 m/s (37.7 ft/s) (yize ingaqala ukukhiqiza amandla lapho isivinini somoya okungenani singu-4 m/s (13.1 ft/s)). Uma ikhayithi ikulezi zimo ezifanele, inendawo eyindilinga engu-145m (475.7 ft).

I-Project Makani iphakanyiswa esikhundleni sezinjini zomoya ezivamile ngenxa yokuthi iyasebenza kakhulu futhi ingafinyelela nemimoya ephakeme, ngokuvamile enamandla futhi engaguquki kunaleyo eseduze nezinga eliphansi. Nakuba ngeshwa ngokungafani nama-wind turbines avamile, ayikwazi ukubekwa ezindaweni eziseduze kwemigwaqo yomphakathi noma izintambo zikagesi, futhi kufanele ibekwe iqhelelene kakhulu ukuze kugwenywe ukuphahlazeka phakathi kwamakhithi.

I-Project Makani yahlolwa okokuqala e-Pescadero, eCalifornia, indawo enemimoya engalindelekile futhi enamandla ngendlela emangalisayo. I-Google X ifike izilungiselele kakhulu, futhi "yafuna"  okungenani amakhayithi amahlanu ukuthi aphahlazeke ekuhlolweni kwawo. Kepha emahoreni endiza angaphezu kwe-100 angenisiwe, bahlulekile ukuphahlazeka ikhayithi eyodwa, i-Google ekholelwa ukuthi akuyona into enhle impela. U-Teller, isibonelo, uvumile ukuthi kunalokho "baphikisana" nomphumela, “Besingafuni ukuyibona iphahlazeka, kodwa futhi sizwa sengathi sehlulekile ngandlela thize. Kunomlingo kuwo wonke umuntu okholelwa ukuthi kungenzeka ukuthi sehlulekile ngoba asihlulekanga.” Lokhu kuphawula kungase kube nengqondo ngokwengeziwe uma sicabanga ukuthi abantu, kuhlanganise no-Google, bangafunda okwengeziwe ekwehlulekeni nasekwenzeni amaphutha.

Amagciwane Aguqula Amandla Elanga

Ukusungulwa kwesibili kuvela ekusebenzisaneni phakathi kwe-Faculty of Arts and Sciences yase-Harvard University, i-Harvard Medical School, ne-Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, okuholele kulokho okubizwa ngokuthi "iqabunga le-bionic". Lokhu  okusungulwe okusha kusebenzisa ubuchwepheshe nemibono etholwe ngaphambilini, kanye nama-tweaks amasha ambalwa. Inhloso eyinhloko yeqabunga le-bionic ukuguqula i-hydrogen ne-carbon dioxide ibe yi-isopropanol ngosizo lwamandla elanga kanye nebhaktheriya ebizwa ngokuthi. I-Ralstonia eutropha - umphumela ofisayo njengoba i-isopropanol ingasetshenziswa njengophethiloli owuketshezi njenge-ethanol.

Ekuqaleni, ukusungulwa kwavela empumelelweni kaDaniel Nocera weYunivesithi yaseHarvard ekwakheni i-cobalt-phosphate catalyst esebenzisa ugesi ukuhlukanisa amanzi abe yi-hydrogen nomoya-mpilo. Kodwa njengoba i-hydrogen ingakabambeki njengenye indlela yokubasa, uNocera wanquma ukusebenzisana noPamela Silver noJoseph Torella baseHarvard Medical School ukuze bathole indlela entsha.

Ekugcineni, ithimba laqhamuka nombono oshiwo ngenhla wokusebenzisa inguqulo eshintshwe izakhi zofuzo I-Ralstonia eutropha engaguqula i-hydrogen ne-carbon dioxide ibe isopropanol. Ngesikhathi socwaningo, kuphinde kwatholakala ukuthi izinhlobo ezahlukene zamagciwane zingasetshenziswa futhi ukwakha eminye imikhiqizo ehlukene okuhlanganisa nemithi.

Ngemva kwalokho, uNocera noSilver babe sebekwazi ukwakha i-bioreactor ephelele ne-catalyst entsha, amagciwane namaseli elanga ukuze kukhiqizwe uphethiloli owuketshezi. I-catalyst ingahlukanisa noma yimaphi amanzi, ngisho noma engcoliswe kakhulu; amabhaktheriya angasebenzisa imfucuza evela ekusetshenzisweni kukaphethiloli; futhi amangqamuzana elanga athola amandla aqhubekayo inqobo nje uma kukhona ilanga. Sekuhlangene, umphumela uba uhlobo lukaphethiloli oluhlaza obangela amagesi amancane abamba ukushisa.

Ngakho, ukuthi lokhu okusunguliwe kusebenza kanjani empeleni ilula kakhulu. Okokuqala, ososayensi kudingeka baqinisekise ukuthi indawo esendaweni ye-bioreactor ayinazo izakhi amagciwane angazisebenzisa ukuze akhiqize imikhiqizo engafunwa. Ngemva kokusungulwa kwalesi simo, amangqamuzana elanga kanye ne-catalyst angaqala-ke ukuhlukanisa amanzi abe yi-hydrogen nomoya-mpilo. Okulandelayo, imbiza iyanyakaziswa ukuze amabhaktheriya ajabule kusukela esigabeni sawo sokukhula esivamile. Lokhu kwenza amabhaktheriya adle i-hydrogen esanda kukhiqizwa futhi ekugcineni isopropanol ikhishwe njengemfucuza evela kubhaktheriya.

U-Torella ukusho lokhu mayelana nephrojekthi yabo nezinye izinhlobo zezinsiza ezisimeme, “Uwoyela negesi akuyona imithombo eqhubekayo kaphethiloli, ipulasitiki, umanyolo, noma inqwaba yamanye amakhemikhali akhiqizwa ngawo. Impendulo elandelayo engcono kakhulu ngemva kukawoyela negesi isayensi yezinto eziphilayo, ngokwezibalo zomhlaba wonke ezikhiqiza ikhabhoni ephindwe izikhathi eziyikhulu ngonyaka nge-photosynthesis kunaleyo esetshenziswa abantu kuwoyela.”