Future Energy eNews

April 2019, Volume 20

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Hello Tom,

As Springtime comes around, we notice more free solar energy availability in our hemisphere. This is also a good time to think again about a solar roof installation. There are several companies to choose from across the US, like Sungevity, Sunrun, and Trinity Solar to name a few. Trinity has a 800-FREE-SOLAR phone that is easy to remember but more importantly, review websites are a good place to start for comparison shopping, keeping in mind your interest in (1) purchasing for greater payback, or (2) going for free solar equipment and installation with a different agreement. IRI recommends checking with Consumers Affairs that has a basic listing of companies and ratings, or perhaps, www.homeadvisor.com which guides you through a bunch of questions to give you a better choice.

Speaking of the environment, our affinity organization Rocky Mountain Institute is inviting you to join a live webcast streamed from the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, May 7th, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. MT / 1 p.m.–2 p.m. ET to hear about exciting new ways that US cities are stepping up to mitigate climate change, improve their communities, and even meet the Paris Accord perhaps. This Spring Webcast is free to the public and easy to access by visiting https://rmi.org/2019-spring-webcast/ and entering your name and email to register for the event. Two RMI principals and a Board member and Senior Advisor, retired Admiral Dennis McGinn will participate.

Next item of interest is my recent Gaia TV interview on “Beyond Belief” with George Noory. For readers of this Future Energy eNews, in case you missed the 24 hour window to view this interview entitled, “Solving-climate-change-free-energy-tom-valone”, you may send us an email with Subject “Free DVD” Remember to include your mailing address too!

We are proud to offer a one-minute entertaining video this month showcasing our institute and yours truly. Just click on the video to see a professionally edited story of who we are and what we do .

Our first story highlights a new way to see Mars, with the Mars Helicopter awaiting the trip to the red planet next year. With solar cells, internal heater, and downward facing camera, the chopper should survey the surface of Mars with panoramic views. A short video is online to give us more details on this exciting mission.

Speaking of unusual flying craft, our Story #2 documents the courageous effort of angry pilots in the Navy to finally force the agency to start sharing information on UFOs. As reported by the Washington Post, “In some cases, pilots — many of whom are engineers and academy graduates — claimed to observe small spherical objects flying in formation. Others say they’ve seen white, Tic Tac-shaped vehicles. Aside from drones, all engines rely on burning fuel to generate power, but these vehicles all had no air intake, no wind and no exhaust.” Such advanced propulsion systems certainly should be of interest to everyone for obvious reasons. Interestingly enough, Luis Elizondo had to retire from the Navy’s Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program (AATIP) and join the To The Stars Academy of Arts and Sciences in order to publicize what he also learned for the past seven years. Last year’s Navy video is also linked in the story and shown in the still image here, thanks to the efforts of Elizondo to release it to the public.

Story #3 documents a recent discovery in the bioenergetics area with MXene, a conductive material that can be called “electric skin”. The hydrogel reported in Medical Design Briefs, possibly may be used to help wounds to heal and with its stretch ability, provide an adjunct to wearable electronics. Cambridge University Press released this information on the hydrogel that is biocompatible and capable of handwriting and voice recognition.

Story #4 is an exiting study done by a neurologist which has proven to counter the memory loss many older people experience. Using noninvasive electric current in specific areas of the skull, Nature magazine reports on the improvements to memory that transcranial direct stimulation (tCDS) has accomplished. There are several new commercial versions of this technology being developed recently as well, including one by PlatoWorks, which is on Indiegogo and available May 4 as a perk 

Story #5 almost seems humorous if it was not true. Improving a solar cell performance by adding a cup of coffee? Not exactly, but that was the original inspiration as we read its history of the discovery. As UCLA analyzed the chemistry involved, the carbonyl groups in caffeine had successfully bonded with lead ions in the solar cell layer to boost efficiency by 17 to 20% in perovskite solar cells, which are also easier to manufacture than regular silicon cells.

Onward and upward!

Tom Valone, PhD

Editor



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The launch date just 16 months away, space fans looking forward to the Mars 2020 mission.

A recent uptick in sightings of unidentified flying objects — or as the military calls them, “unexplained aerial phenomena” — prompted the Navy to draft formal procedures for pilots to document encounters, a corrective measure that former officials say is long overdue.

The Pentagon has officially confirmed that there was, in fact, a $22 million government program to collect and analyze “anomalous aerospace threats” — government-speak for UFOs.