What’s Jaouen Jonesing For?

It isn’t often that I see something that truly impresses me and opens my eyes to entirely new possibilities. A group of researchers at Idaho National Laboratory have created a new method of capturing energy that has done just that. This new method of capturing energy uses arrays of billions of nano-scale antennas to create electricity. It’s called a resonant (LC) circuit. The circuit captures the energy of the waves moving through it. Since infrared radiation operates in the 30 Terahertz (30 trillion waves per second) range, it’s possible to capture the energy of the waves by using very small antennas. The antennas are arranged into flexible sheets of material that are 80% efficient at capturing infrared energy. If you don’t know, infrared energy is heat. The implications of such a power source are staggering. So much energy in the world is lost to heat. Friction, electrical resistance, atomic reactions, and many chemical reactions create heat. Typically heat is lost to the environment or pumped away from its source. With this material, energy could be gained from excess heat. The best part of this material is the cost; a dollar per square foot. Imagine the possibilities. Clothes could be made that harness the heat of the body to power an iPod. These clothes could literally soak extra heat away from your body, keeping you at a comfortable temperature of your choosing. It should be noted that exceptionally cool people will not produce as much energy as “not so cool” people like Mutari. Excess engine heat could be used to add energy to a hybrid car’s power cells. Blankets could be tuned to absorb body heat at a rate that would maintain a comfortable sleeping environment all night. Depending on how hot your girlfriend is, you may be able to power several city blocks. Plus, these sheets open up some pickup line possibilities, ”Hey Baby, I have nano-sheets, want to come back to my place and help me knock a couple bucks off my Excel Bill?”  Even better, “Hey Baby, want to come back to my place and do something green?” and, “Hey Baby, my bed is carbon neutral!”(As a side note, anytime you start a pickup line with, “Hey Baby”, it’s a sure thing.  Works for me everytime.”) Several obstacles remain before the technology is viable and widely available. The main issue is that the energy is entering the system at 30 trillion Hz and needs to be slowed to 60 Hz. Super efficient rectifiers will be needed to make this possible. Even if the rectifiers are only 50% efficient though, the sheets of nano-antennas will still be more efficient that traditional PV. A few years from now, the energy crisis may be a thing of the past. Cheap infrared energy may be the wave of the future.