Energy Flashes

By the Mother Earth News editors

November/December 1975

"PARKINSON'S PRINCIPLE OF PYRAMIDING PRIDE" (see MOTHER NO. 35) is hard at work and reaching new heights as American engineers and scientists proudly proclaim elaborate schemes for harnessing solar energy. The latest: A proposed plan to mine the moon for building materials in order to construct a space colony of 10,000 people . . . who, in turn, would build "power satellites" capable of "intercepting" and beaming solar energy to Earth. Approximate cost: a mere $100 billion . . . not to mention the price of upsetting our planet's thermal balance.

A COMPLETE STOVEPIPE WATER HEATER KIT for folks with wood-burning whatevers and no hot water is now available from Blazing Showers, P.O. Box 327, Point Arena, Calif. 95468. Installed in conjunction with any old hot water tank, the $49.00 kit which includes a main heating unit of copper pipe coiled within a stovepipe, a storage tank adapter, all necessary fittings, and a detailed instruction manual-is said to produce and store twenty gallons of fiery fluid per hour. A free info sheet is available on request:

WILLIAM A. SHURCLIFF IS NOW ALL THE WAY UP TO the 10th edition of his unique and valuable publication, Solar Heated Buildings: A Brief Survey. This newest directory-like its predecessors, but now with a whopping 163 entries-lists and describes (and analyzes the efficiency of) virtually every existing or planned sun-warmed or -cooled structure in North America. The price is $7.00 postpaid or $8.00 via first class mail (add $1.00 more if you order after December 9, 1975). Address your orders to W.A. Shurcliff, 19 Appleton St., Cambridge, Mass. 02138.

FOLKS USING WOOD-BURNING HEAT SOURCES for the first time this winter-and "veterans", too-would do well to get hold of two helpful government publications: [ 1 ] "Firewood For Your Fireplace" (USDA Forest Service Leaflet No. 559, 254), which tells how to find, buy, and use the right kinds of wood and [2] "Fireplaces and Chimneys" (USDA Farmer's Bulletin No. 1889, l5 cents) which discusses the proper construction and care of . . . well, just what its title suggests. Ask for them at your local library or USDA Extension Office, or send a request to the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.

IF YOU'RE AN INVENTOR TINKERING WITH ENERGY-RELATED IDEAS, you'll be glad to know that the U.S. Government Patent Office will give your application "top priority" status. Isaac Fleischmann, Director of Information for the Office, says that-while the normal processing time for patent reviews is 21 months-the waiting period for "inventions in all aspects of the energy field" has been slashed to 6 months. If you'd like more information, write the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, Office of Information Services, Washington, D.C. 20231.

SMALL HYDROELECTRIC SYSTEMS (1471 Old Samish Rd., Bellingham, Wash. 98225) tells us it now has a new nine-inch, Pelton-type high-speed turbine which can be used-with a governor-to drive a 60-cycle auto alternator, or to power low-voltage DC equipment. Also: The company offers a bevy of informative technical sheets, two of which-"Hydroelectric Guide" and "Nominal Operating Characteristics of Pelton-Type Water Wheels"-are available for free . . . if you send a stamped, self addressed long envelope along with your request.

THE WINNER OF THE FIRST ANNUAL ALTERNATIVE VEHICLE REGATTA (announced in MOTHER NO. 33's "Bits and Pieces") was an electric-powered motorcycle developed jointly by engineers from Corbin-Gentry Inc. (40 Maple St., Somersville, Conn. 06072) and the technological wizards of Yardney Electric (Pawcatuck, Conn. 02891), who provided a high-energy-density silver zinc "super battery" with a total energy content of over 4,680 watt hours. The team's winning run to the summit of New Hampshire's Mt. Washington-an eight-mile haul up an average grade of 12%, with 99 hairpin turns-took just 26 minutes non-stop!

"ONE OF THE CENTURY'S MAJOR SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES". . . that's what some scientists are calling new-found evidence which confirms the existence of a magnetic monopole . . . a magnet with only one pole, comparable to the electron in electrical energy and thought to be "a new world for scientists to explore". According to researchers at the University of Houston, the discovery could drastically alter our current understanding of electromagnetic phenomena, and may even hold the key to drastically less expensive sources of energy.

IF YOU'RE NOT QUITE UP TO "DOING IT YERSELF" but would enjoy a refreshing spray of water heated by the sun, a simple, portable device called the "H20 Sun Shower" may be just what you need. Apparently little more than a hose and nozzle attached to a black plastic "pillow" capable of holding ten quarts of liquid, the foldable, l2-ounce unit is said to deliver hot water in less than three hours. Write Basic Designs, Inc., 3000 Bridgeway, Sausalito, Calif. 94965 for more info.

BRACE YOURSELVES, FOLKS . . . THEBIG PUSH FOR NUCLEAR REACTORS and plutonium-based power is about to begin. Of next year's federal energy budget dollar, 834 will go for nuclear development (a third of that for the lethal fast breeder reactor alone) as compared to just 3.6 cents for alternatives like solar and wind, and a puny penny and a half for energy conservation. Meanwhile, the atomic industry has budgeted nearly 2.5 million dollars for a massive pro-nuclear lobbying effort in Congress. It's a dangerously stacked deck, and environmental groups need your support, help, ideas, and dollars now more than ever before.