With rapidly increasing population and mounting pressure from climate change, electrical innovations are more important than ever before. While there is no silver bullet that can solve all our issues, there are a broad range of technologies that may help make power more abundant, eco-friendly and efficient.
From Centralisation to Decentralisation
For decades, the electricity sector in Australia and across the modern world has operated on a model of centralised, state-owned power plants. These are typically located at the major sources of fuel and clustered together. It made more economical sense to be positioned closer to the fuel source (e.g. coal or large hydro) at the expense of having to transport power long distances to major population and industrial areas.
In future, we may move towards a more decentralised system. New technology and the economic dynamic of the market have created shifts in the basic cost parameters of many sources of energy, allowing power generating facilities to be built closer to where it is used. Instead of a small number of large power plants being owned by a few companies, we could have a larger number of small generation facilities with a larger number of owners and investors, spreading the risks and rewards of investment.
Salt Powered Energy
A new technology is in development that leverages the isothermal expansion of sodium and solar heat to directly generate electricity. In this system, electricity is generated from solar heat by using thermal energy to drive a sodium redox reaction on opposite sides of a solid electrolyte. A single system could be used to power a house.
Energy from Nuclear Waste
This new technology in development is set up in a similar way to photovoltaic devices (solar energy capture) except it uses high energy electrons from nuclear waste instead of photons from the sun. One betavoltaic device could generate about one watt of power continuously for 30 years. This makes it around 40,000 times more energy dense than the lithium ion batteries we use from our remote devices.
Flexible Energy Generators
Another innovation involves using polymers in thermoelectric generators. This would be innovative due to its flexibility and low thermal conductivity. This could drastically reduce production costs as the system could operate without cooling. These devices could displace batteries in certain situations such as on wearable devices like a personal thermostat that warms your clothes up.
Need a Commercial Electrician? Brisbane’s EPG Can Help
If you require an industrial electrical contractor, Brisbane’s EPG can help. Our experts have extensive experience providing domestic, commercial and industrial electrical maintenance and installation services in Brisbane and around Queensland.
In addition to assisting with electrical issues around Brisbane, we offer a range of other services:
- Commercial plumbing (Brisbane wide)
- Industrial automation (Brisbane wide)
- Industrial plumbing (Brisbane wide)
Call us on (07) 3823 1630 to discuss your industrial plumbing requirements or contact us online.
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