Brilliant ideas, lame application - these could have solved all our energy problems!

A little background of myself. I'm an engineer and I'm an alternative energy researcher/inventor in my own free time and money.

I also hunt for potential technologies that shows great promise for solving our energy problems. These two catches my attention for its huge potential but really really lame application.

I think there's a real conspiracy to divert our attention away from **permanently** solving our energy problems even if the means to do is EASILY available now.

Anyhow, here you go:

Light from nothing

A vacuum might seem like empty space, but scientists have discovered a new way to seemingly get something from that nothingness, such as light. And the finding could ultimately help scientists build incredibly powerful quantum computers or shed light on the earliest moments in the universe's history.

Seriously??? If you can extract usable energy from the ambient energy of quantum fluctuations, you can run your car forever, quantum vacuum fluctuations are a limitless source of energy and are abundant even in near zero kelvin temperatures...

...And yet all these losers can think of is to use the concept to build better computers and investigate our history which is also quite important but not as important as solving our energy woes which could also help alleviate poverty.


Another is an invention of year 2013. I can't find the article anymore. It's beyond belief you can't find it today's science journals for a groundbreaking invention.

The invention is chemically similar to silicon chips used in computers. It converts heat from molecules on contact to infrared energy which it usually radiates to space. It uses no energy in the process.

Apparent application - free cooling of beers!!

The smartest reply I've seen from it is using the devices to artificially curb or even reverse global warming artificially by radiating heat into space by large scale application - note this device works day or night!

Ironically, since this devise can get colder than its environment using zero energy, you can use it to generate energy through convection using a liquid or gas medium for example. It doesn't require the sun or any artificial sources of heat to work! Due to Reynolds number such convection device will have higher energy densities/efficiencies in bigger sizes.

It's not rocket science to think of such simple applications to solve far bigger problems than the devise was "designed for"

So why aren't they being thought of used for energy applications? Deliberately done or these people have no idea about convection or using the laws of thermodynamics in unorthodox situations??

We already have the technology for all energy requirements, such as anti gravity and propulsion systems. However, like cancer, there is only money in the treatment, not the cure. Financial systems and economies are based on scarce resources, with oil companies and energy conglomerates very unlikely to divulge these technologies until profit le resources are diminished. Even at that point, the free energy will be allocated and price discriminate accordingly

originally posted by: johndeere2020

It converts heat from molecules on contact to infrared energy which it usually radiates to space. It uses no energy in the process.

I find this very interesting!
Where is the gain?
Am I correct in thinking the molecule would already be radiating the heat as infrared anyway?

a reply to: johndeere2020

I wish you would have read the article you are quoting. The light from vacuum is not free. You have to provide energy in some way or another to make it work.

No free lunch, sorry.

originally posted by: johndeere2020
Seriously???

If you can extract usable energy from the ambient energy of quantum fluctuations, you can run your car forever, quantum vacuum fluctuations are a limitless source of energy and are abundant even in near zero kelvin temperatures...

You can't extract energy from the quantum vacuum, but even if you could, you'd be lucky to be able to heat up a cup of coffee with it. I ran the numbers...find a flaw in my calculations if you think there is one. The only flaw I know of is even the calculation that there is enough energy to heat a cup of coffee is an over estimate as you can't extract it so you can't use it to heat coffee or do anything else:

The mathematics of hypothetical extraction of energy from the vacuum

In the experiments you cited they are harnessing energy above the quantum zero-point, so it's not energy from nothing, it's energy converted from one form to another. If you have a television you can already convert some of that energy yourself. About 1% of the noise on your TV screen when it's not tuned to any station is noise from the Cosmic Microwave Background. Not much power there, but there is a tiny bit. You'd be lucky to power a digital watch with it.

The invention is chemically similar to silicon chips used in computers. It converts heat from molecules on contact to infrared energy which it usually radiates to space.

If you can't find the article or any citation your statement isn't very useful or helpful. The closest thing I can think of is the Peltier effect and I designed products using those chips years ago, way before 2013. They used energy though. I'm wondering if you're mis-remembering or mis-interpreted what you read...it happens, you know.

I love conversations like this.

I still think electromagnetics is our savior, we're just using the current electric motor a bit backwards and without all the pieces.

We also have the creation of room temp semi conductors to look forward to.

The " money can't be made off it " issue is there but the internet and opensource revolution will make quick work of that angle soon.

The People demand it.

originally posted by: Tranceopticalinclined
I love conversations like this.

I still think electromagnetics is our savior, we're just using the current electric motor a bit backwards and without all the pieces.

We also have the creation of room temp semi conductors to look forward to.

The " money can't be made off it " issue is there but the internet and opensource revolution will make quick work of that angle soon.

The People demand it.

Yep, I go along with that too, though there's many who will come in here and quote all kinds of laws insisting it cant be done, but just look at history, its full of those "it cant be done" people, who were eventualy proved wrong.

originally posted by: VoidHawk

originally posted by: johndeere2020

It converts heat from molecules on contact to infrared energy which it usually radiates to space. It uses no energy in the process.

I find this very interesting!
Where is the gain?
Am I correct in thinking the molecule would already be radiating the heat as infrared anyway?

Yes, but most static, non-living, non-powered, non-radioactive objects are only radiating as much energy as they absorb.

But the invention in question radiates more heat than it absorbs one side and is cold on the other side. It transfers heat by quantum mechanical processes, probably by quantum tunneling (I'm not sure, it's over a year since I read the article).

If I remember correctly, it's using a silicon-doped material (with Germanium) - practically the same thing used in our computer silicon technology because our computers also rely on the phenomena of quantum tunneling to process binary data.

This device achieves heat transfer and conversion to excess infra red energy without using electricity. It rather uses the already available ambient heat energy from the material it's supposed to cool.

It can be used to power convection systems. Very sadly, I'm hearing nothing from further development. I doubt it is a fluke because the news of its invention made it to reputable science outlets.

My personal project I'm working on also goes along that concept but instead of quantum tunneling, I'm trying to achieve it purely by aerodynamical processes. I've been working on the concept years before the inventors went public and also way before another group of scientists discovered the concept - this group did not have a practical application for it. It only for kicks and gigs for them. I will not discuss it here. I was ridiculed by mainstream uni professors until another group made the discovery but have not thought of them for energy applications nor have any ideas for practical applications yet.

It would seem to get any level of acceptance or credibility in the fields of free energy -- one would have to spend most of their life "buying into" the system and becoming a respected lead researcher in their field.

Once you've got respect and status, you could go off on a free energy experiment (label it something else though) and work away.

If individuals in the garages try this, they get laughed at. If mid-level researchers try this, they get shunned from their field.

Gotta love science -- so open to new possibilities!

originally posted by: moebius
a reply to: johndeere2020

I wish you would have read the article you are quoting. The light from vacuum is not free. You have to provide energy in some way or another to make it work.

No free lunch, sorry.

Sorry if I have not made myself clear, I'm talking of its potential for further research in the right and more important direction like providing cheap energy than only using the theory to make computers that can crack encrypted data for espionage use.

I'm not talking of "free lunch" either. The virtual photons are akin to "ambient heat" like room temperature and obeys the Thermodynamic Laws in most cases (there are cases they are being violated except for the 3rd Law which is Conservation of Energy which is impossible to violate, I guarantee it!).

The problem with harnessing this ambient energy is that you cannot readily access it from the vacuum fluctuations. Conversion to real photons may be the first step to the solution. I'm not saying it's the solution already but I hope they use this for energy research instead.

There's already a talk in astrophysics many years back that Black Holes achieve their phenomenal energy efficiency by taking advantage of the phenomena.

I have previously attempted this approach but it's proving to be far too complicated for an average joe like me. It's a lot easier to harness ambient energy from normal matter than virtual photons or vacuum fluctuations (Zero Point Energy).

So far, one group have apparently demonstrated the principle using quantum tunneling. But I can't find them anymore in the internet.....

.....Ironically, I'm beginning to suspect they maybe involved in the disappearance of the MH370 flight after reading an article here regarding classified silicon chips connected to flight MH370. They maybe the special silicon chips that can perform heat exchange without using electricity, just the ambient heat of air or water or w/e.

Name a significant advancement in technology that has not resulted in increased money and profits for everyone involved. There is no motivation to "suppress" any such technology. However, the motivation is there to locate, develop and own those technologies and charge people bundles of money to use or access them.

originally posted by: ArbitrageurYou can't extract energy from the quantum vacuum, but even if you could, you'd be lucky to be able to heat up a cup of coffee with it. I ran the numbers...find a flaw in my calculations if you think there is one. The only flaw I know of is even the calculation that there is enough energy to heat a cup of coffee is an over estimate as you can't extract it so you can't use it to heat coffee or do anything else:

In the experiments you cited they are harnessing energy above the quantum zero-point, so it's not energy from nothing, it's energy converted from one form to another.

All your points noted and they are all valid. You are actually speaking of the Laws of Thermodynamics and true they apply in this case.

But recently, some group of scientists have managed to violate the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. Note, you only need to violate to 2nd Law to make it work. You cannot violate the 3rd Law because it's absolutely impossible.

If you can violate the 2nd Law, you can perform transfer of energy from "cold" to "hot" without using additional energy to achieve it.

Until now, no one has provided a practical means to violate the 2nd Law in a large scale - if you can do this, you can bid farewell to fossil and nuclear fuel, and even solar energy, I guarantee that.

That has been the subject of my work. But I'm trying to achieve it using aerodynamic analog instead because it is a lot easier and cheaper for experiments although it's gonna be a lot cooler (literally and figuratively) if you have done it using vacuum fluctuations.

Because if you solve it through vacuum fluctuation, you'll be hitting two birds in one stone - you'd be solving the world's energy problems as well as create the next generation of ultrafast near light speed space propulsion technology. I'm not sure if it's going to result to the warp drive but, if you can harness the ambient vacuum energy, it will cause a void in that part of space and it will draw any metallic objects to it due to Casimir effect. You can project this void ahead of the spacecraft to fly into that direction. Such spacecraft does not have to carry any fuel or energy source because it can feed right off the ambient energy of the vacuum. Given such form of propulsion, it can probably fly up to 99.99% the speed of light. That is enough incentive to mount a manned exploration mission to the nearest stars. Even without a warp drive, it's still a giant leap!

Well we hit couple of cliché in this post, free energy breakthrough people snuffed out by the powers that be. And disappearance of articles.

Good luck sir, we life in an era where proliferation of ideas and technology occurs at an uncontrollable speed. If the articles where real, other research groups would have been looking at it straight afterwards. As much as people like to believe that no research effort is given to these fields, the reality is that a Peltier like device that requires no energy, has billions of applications, it being even uttered in a media outlet would have spawned many groups trying to recreate it based on the smallest information they can find.

It to just vanish is hard to believe

a reply to: MystikMushroom

"Free energy" claims get no respect because none of the claims are worthy of respect. Youtube videos, scam artists and incompetent laymen being fooled by their instruments carries no weight in the academic word.

Let's do a straw poll: how many believers of free/perpetual energy generators own one?

originally posted by: rossacus
We already have the technology for all energy requirements, such as anti gravity and propulsion systems. However, like cancer, there is only money in the treatment, not the cure. Financial systems and economies are based on scarce resources, with oil companies and energy conglomerates very unlikely to divulge these technologies until profit le resources are diminished. Even at that point, the free energy will be allocated and price discriminate accordingly

This argument was fine when the world was huge and the only information was available via printed books. However, today we have the internet and even the lowly sheep herder in the middle of Africa can access the internet. This means the information about these "suppressed technologies" is available to all. NB if the technology really exists and it is not a figment of the imagination then there must be something substantial to read and verify otherwise even yourself would have dismissed it. Given that there are an awful lot of very poor countries in the world some of whom want nothing to do with the US and thus these "technology suppressing corporations", then these countries would quite clearly adopt this "free energy technology" with relish and stick two fingers up at "global inc".

Oh hang on this has not happened, not even tested, not the slightest hint of anything at all. Hmmmm, why ? becasue it's all BS I know I have been following this stuff for 40 years from the days of books !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DUH!!!!!!!!

a reply to: johndeere2020

You wouldn't by chance be talking about peltiers?

They are no secret.

originally posted by: ErosA433
Well we hit couple of cliché in this post, free energy breakthrough people snuffed out by the powers that be. And disappearance of articles.

Good luck sir, we life in an era where proliferation of ideas and technology occurs at an uncontrollable speed. If the articles where real, other research groups would have been looking at it straight afterwards. As much as people like to believe that no research effort is given to these fields, the reality is that a Peltier like device that requires no energy, has billions of applications, it being even uttered in a media outlet would have spawned many groups trying to recreate it based on the smallest information they can find.

It to just vanish is hard to believe

It's ironic the 2nd part of my post, the inventors of the "zero energy heat transfer" did not even mention of using them in energy applications.

The articles did mention huge application of the devise in reversing global warming. Used in large scale around the world to radiate heat energy of Earth into space day and night, it could significantly reduce global temperatures and stabilize the climate.

However, a slight miscalculation of its application would trigger another Ice Age.

originally posted by: yorkshirelad
This argument was fine when the world was huge and the only information was available via printed books. However, today we have the internet and even the lowly sheep herder in the middle of Africa can access the internet. This means the information about these "suppressed technologies" is available to all. NB if the technology really exists and it is not a figment of the imagination then there must be something substantial to read and verify otherwise even yourself would have dismissed it. Given that there are an awful lot of very poor countries in the world some of whom want nothing to do with the US and thus these "technology suppressing corporations", then these countries would quite clearly adopt this "free energy technology" with relish and stick two fingers up at "global inc".

Oh hang on this has not happened, not even tested, not the slightest hint of anything at all. Hmmmm, why ? becasue it's all BS I know I have been following this stuff for 40 years from the days of books !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DUH!!!!!!!!

I don't trust youtube either and free-energy sites.

I especially don't trust claims of violation of 3rd Law or the Conservation of Energy. As an engineer and amateur scientist, even if I wanted to believe it, it just cannot happen, I even tried crazy experiments but nothing works.


Anyway, back to my OP.

I have confirmed by finally recalling clearly that the 2nd invention works by quantum tunneling in the basic application.

Initially, the idea was to convert ambient heat from air directly to electricity - this is what probably earned it their fate to obscurity.

The device works by due kinetic molecular theory in air, when a fast air molecule collides with the silicon doped surface, by chance, it will cause an electron in the surface to tunnel. This process absorbs kinetic energy from the air which makes it cold. The tunneling electrons creates an electrical potential....

It's actually like some kind of solar panel but instead of converting light into electricity, it converts ambient heat of air or any fluid into electricity, exhausting colder air or colder liquid.

If it can have the same or beat solar tech in energy density out put, it will be tons better since it will continue producing electricity even at night.


I think I'll find some help to hunt this invention since it warrants some attention. It might still be out there. The inventors apparently, removed the electricity feature and let it radiate infra red energy instead. Strange, ain't it?? Makes you feel like something's going on...

I think OPEC and all the mega corporations and mega banks with WAAAYYYY too much invested in petroleum-based products will push us to the brink of extinction with global warfare before they'll allow universal replacement of oil by an alternate energy source.

a reply to: johndeere2020

I searched a little and the invention has been killed by search engines in using quantum tunneling for efficient cryogenic cooling, instead of generating electricity by harnessing ambient heat from fluids.

I was in this very specific field of alternative energy research and it's looking like someone's trying to smother the information.

Apparently, there's a ton of things you can do with silicon doped materials for use in quantum tunneling. Solar energy and compact computers are just two. Apparently, you can also use it to harness ambient energy from gases and liquid will beat solar energy by many many miles because it will work day and night.

Someone did point out that many passengers from the doomed MH370 flight were involved in a classified project on a special silicon chip. I guess it is one of these things.