Posted: 12/27/2012 11:11:04 AM EDT
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just saw this on yahoo.com,looks interesting-
"A design team in London has created a lamp powered by gravity called the GravityLight that could free poor, off the grid communities, from using costly and dangerous kerosene fueled lamps. Attached to the lamp, which is expected to retail for around $10 when it comes to market, is a bag that can hold about 20 pounds of sand or rocks and gravel which acts as the fuel when combined with gravity. The bag is built to descend under the weight of the materials which then triggers a set of gears that translate the force into power and light. It also works as a generator and can be used to charge radios and batteries. Since the GravityLight runs on available resources, once it's purchased there are no further costs to operate the lamp. According to a study published by the Guardian, in India alone 2.5 million people suffer severe burns from kerosene lamps every year and the cost can account for 20% of a household's income. GravityLight is currently raising money on Indiegogo through the middle of January. So far they have raised over $260,000, far beyond their initial goal of $55,000." http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/this-could-be-big-abc-news/lantern-powered-gravity-071039684.html |
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Actually.... You are the power source. By lifting the weight and placing it on the device you have created potential energy by acting against gravity. The weight is pushing downward to spin a generator and run some lights converting that potential energy into mechanical and electrical energy.
ETA - Welcome to the matrix |
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So they've "invented" the centuries old wind up weight powered grandfather clock???
PS: Those 2.5m people with sever burns is a direct result of lack of education as well as mental impairment from lack of proper nutrition, not a result of using kerosene lanterns. The US used kerosene lanterns years ago as well and didn't have nearly the problem of people burning themselves. |
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Well, according to a quick calculation, 20 pounds of weight suspended at a height of 10 feet has around 270 Joules of stored (potential) energy.
Assuming this generator is 100 percent efficient at converting stored energy into electrical energy, that's roughly 0.075 watt-hours. By comparison, a single AA alkaline cell has roughly 3.5 watt-hours of energy. So, you would need to lift your 20 pound bag of rocks around 47 times to produce the same amount of energy as 1 AA cell. |
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Quoted:
Well, according to a quick calculation, 20 pounds of weight suspended at a height of 10 feet has around 270 Joules of stored (potential) energy. Assuming this generator is 100 percent efficient at converting stored energy into electrical energy, that's roughly 0.075 watt-hours. By comparison, a single AA alkaline cell has roughly 3.5 watt-hours of energy. So, you would need to lift your 20 pound bag of rocks around 47 times to produce the same amount of energy as 1 AA cell. Good thinking. One of my buddies E-mailed this to me a week or two ago, and I shot it down on cost grounds, but this is even easier. |