http://www.nextenergynews.com/news1/next-energy-news-betavoltaic-10.1.html
Cheers, Ian
Ian McCall ian@redacted.invalid wrote:
http://www.nextenergynews.com/news1/next-energy-news-betavoltaic-10.1.html
Cheers, Ian
If and thats a big if they can get some headway with batteries then, will open up solutions to more than just laptops.
electric cars become more feasable, or rather useful.
roger
In article 5meihpFd0hmdU1@redacted.invalid, Ian McCall ian@redacted.invalid wrote:
http://www.nextenergynews.com/news1/next-energy-news-betavoltaic-10.1.html
My first impression is that this is nonsense. What isotope is being used here, and how much of it? In order to produce that amount of power you're going to have to put in terrabecquerels of radioactivity, and in order to produce that amount of power for 30 years you will need an isotope with a long half life, so the danger will be around for hundreds of years. Beta particles may have a short range in air, but when ingested beta emitters cause just as much local damage to the victim, and the risks to the environment from these batteries will be horrendous.
Phil Taylor
Phil Taylor wrote:
In article 5meihpFd0hmdU1@redacted.invalid, Ian McCall ian@redacted.invalid wrote:
http://www.nextenergynews.com/news1/next-energy-news-betavoltaic-10.1.html
My first impression is that this is nonsense. What isotope is being used here, and how much of it? In order to produce that amount of power you're going to have to put in terrabecquerels of radioactivity, and in order to produce that amount of power for 30 years you will need an isotope with a long half life, so the danger will be around for hundreds of years. Beta particles may have a short range in air, but when ingested beta emitters cause just as much local damage to the victim, and the risks to the environment from these batteries will be horrendous.
Apart from that, surely this system will produce constant low levels of power all the time so either it will be wasting energy when you're not using the device it's powering or it will fail to produce enough to cover peak consumption. Therefore it will require a conventional rechargeable alongside which will definitely not last 30 years. I can see it being very useful for applications that require constant low levels of power like distributed sensors though.
Stewart
Ian McCall ian@redacted.invalid wrote:
http://www.nextenergynews.com/news1/next-energy-news-betavoltaic-10.1.html
Is radioactive -> forget about it, (except for the military)
Jan
J. J. Lodder nospam@redacted.invalid wrote:
Ian McCall ian@redacted.invalid wrote:
http://www.nextenergynews.com/news1/next-energy-news-betavoltaic-10.1.html
Is radioactive -> forget about it, (except for the military)
Or space applications. Military types don't like being around radioactive stuff no matter how effective their commanders tell 'em it is.
Rowland.
Rowland McDonnell real-address-in-sig@redacted.invalid wrote:
J. J. Lodder nospam@redacted.invalid wrote:
Ian McCall ian@redacted.invalid wrote:
<http://www.nextenergynews.com/news1/next-energy-news-betavoltaic-10.1.htm l>
Is radioactive -> forget about it, (except for the military)
Or space applications. Military types don't like being around radioactive stuff no matter how effective their commanders tell 'em it is.
Those space types use thermal plutonium generators. For military types there are tritium powered lights. No beta rays come out (stopped by the glass) unless you break the glass of course.
Best,
Jan