Russian Scientists Working to Reconstruct The Tesla Tower
Nikola Tesla without a doubt was one of the greatest inventors of the 20th century. He is responsible for inventing the foundation for most of our present day technology. Stuff like Alternate Current(AC), Radio, remote controls radar, X-rays, and many more that we take for granted have benefitted from the brilliance of Mr.Tesla. Now two Russian physicists, Leonid and Sergey Plekhanov, are working to recreate his famous Wardenclyffe tower (Aka Tesla Tower) experiment which aims to transmit electrical energy wirelessly. They intend to do the experiment in the fall of 2014.
Technology has come a long way since the experiment was conducted by Tesla back in 1900’s. The original wood-framed tower was 186 feet (57 m) tall and the cupola 68 feet (21 m) in diameter. It had a 55-ton steel (some report it was a better conducting material, such as copper) hemispherical structure at the top (referred to as a cupola). Though his tower had only 2% efficiency and it never became completely operational, it was a brilliant thought none the less.
Flash forward to 2014, we now have better knowledge of science; have better equipment and material than 100 years ago. The researchers claim that they have tested their models on computer simulations and they have been successful. They state that the with their technology the 55 ton hemisphere can be scaled down to 2 tonnes.
For electricity generation the researchers say that an area of 316 by 316 kilometers, which is roughly 100,000 square kilometers, if laid with solar panels, can create more energy than the amount that is utilized by the countries around the world in one year. But here the fact is that the solar panels currently are expensive and not mass produced. Also the efficiency of the panels is still not up to the desired limits.
The physicists are currently looking for funds on indiegogo worth $800,000. They have claimed to have done thorough research of Nikola Tesla’s notes and calculations and state that Tesla’s science was going in the right direction. But some physicists disagree with the basic premise of the technology. They say that power goes out evenly in all directions and only a super small fraction can ever be captured again. It is like turning on a bare light-bulb and expecting to capture a useful amount of its light output from a mile away. But the Russian physicists seem confident of their plans and have opened all their research for investors to scrutinize.
The real reason to get excited about this technology is that researchers all around the world now are getting actively involved in energy research. The revival of Tesla tower, or even an inquiry into its effectiveness will enhance our knowledge about it. According to a new report in the past 10 years the number of countries with renewable energy policies has increased to 144 in 2014 from just 15 in 2005. That is a massive 10 fold increase and it shows the seriousness of the nations on the subject. Seems like the green energy revolution has finally begun.
