The "new old" power sources.

An important factor of sustainable living is renewable energy. In general, the sustainable sources that we use now for getting energy haven't changed since ancient times. In the past, people have harnessed the power of the wind, water, earth and sun. But it was done in a much less efficient way than it is possible today. The inefficiency was the main reason for development and wide implementation of unsustainable power sources such as nuclear power plants, coal mines and petroleum.

Watermill

Windmill

Root Cellar

Such sources of energy were dependent on the location of the source. So the energy of windmills and watermills could only be used at the source (could not be transferred). But with advent of new technologies, such as ball bearings and electric power generators, we can now harness those sources more efficiently and transfer energy at large distance.

I think the level of technological development allows us to make a better use of these "new old" energy sources in our design for sustainable living. Perhaps they still can't compete with modern high-output, high-power sources, but it would be a good step to take the strain off the environment overall. In future we should rely more and more on these clean, sustainable energy sources and put more effort in implementing the new sources, such as solar panels and thermal energy systems.

"Wind Lens" wind turbine design by Kyushu University in Japan


Solar power plant


Geothermal power plant


Geothermal energy home