Super Soaker Inventor Hopes to Double Solar Efficiency 288
mattnyc99 writes "With top geeks saying photovoltaic cells are still four years away from costing as much as the grid, and the first U.S. thermal power plant just getting into production, there's plenty of solar hype without any practical solution that's efficient enough. Until Lonnie Johnson came along. The man who invented the Super Soaker water gun turns out to be a nuclear engineer who's developed a solid-state heat engine that converts the sun's heat to electricity at 60-percent efficiency—double the rate of the next most successful solar process. And his innovation, called the Johnson Thermoelectric Energy Conversion (JTEC) system, is getting funding from the National Science Foundation, so this is no toy. From the article: 'If it proves feasible, drastically reducing the cost of solar power would only be a start. JTEC could potentially harvest waste heat from internal combustion engines and combustion turbines, perhaps even the human body. And no moving parts means no friction and fewer mechanical failures.'"
Re:Not sure about this... (Score:5, Funny)
Nuclear Super Soakers.. (Score:5, Funny)
Energy efficient photovoltaic cells is fun and all, but clearly he's better qualified to invent nuclear powered Super Soakers.
And I think I speak for all of the geek fraternity when I say we'd prefer them over some poxy solar panels.
The same guy who invented the Super Soaker? (Score:5, Funny)
The downside is that- like the Super Soaker- they'll only be available in eye-searingly garish combinations of purple, red and fluorescent green and yellow.
Re:The same guy who invented the Super Soaker? (Score:5, Funny)
Anyone spot the danger? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Nuclear Super Soakers.. (Score:3, Funny)
...and to put them in the hands of sexy women wearing only t-shirts and panties! Ah, Super Soaker, you rival x-ray vision in your powers of revealing and fun.
Re:Hmmm.... (Score:3, Funny)
Wherever you're from, I hope it's raining.
Re:And... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Second Law of Thermodynamics (Score:3, Funny)
Generally the waste heat from ice I use cools the water. Im interested in this use of ice to heat it up though ;)
srry, just had to do it
Tm
oozinator anyone? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Not sure about this... (Score:2, Funny)
Call me when you invent a squirt gun.
Re:not exactly :) (Score:2, Funny)