In a radical move, researchers have made the most significant stride yet toward unlocking almost inexhaustible sources of green power. This is from OpenStar Technologies, a New Zealand company that has created a levitating energy generator that taps the fourth state of matter, plasma. This innovation can change the current generation of energy and can be used as a model for the generation of clean energy in the future.
What is the fourth state of matter, and why is it so special?
Most people are familiar with the three standard states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. But there is the fourth state of matter known as plasma as well. Plasma is an electrified, high-energy gas created under high-temperature conditions, such as the sun or lightning.
In this state, the atoms are torn into charged bits of matter called ions and electrons, making plasma different from the other states. One of the limitations has been the inability to manage and handle plasma, but developments in technologies such as the levitating dipole reactor are making it possible in energy production.
OpenStar Technologies is developing a levitated dipole reactor that employs HTS and a non-contacting electromagnet for plasma confinement. The process which is essential in nuclear fusion reactors is called magnetic confinement. While nuclear fission, the splitting of atoms, releases energy, nuclear fusion entails joining atomic nuclei.
This process is the source of power of the sun and, if tapped, could offer a virtually limitless energy source with helium as the only waste product, hence far safer and more sustainable than current nuclear fission power plants.
How magnetic levitation could revolutionize energy harvesting
One more exciting feature of this levitating generator is that it uses magnetic levitation, or maglev for short. Maglev floats the objects and suspends them on iron birdcage employing powerful magnets, decreasing the wear and friction. In energy harvesting, this technology transforms vibrations in the environment or mechanical energy into electrical energy.
Even more significantly, the light levitating generator employs maglev-based energy harvesting systems, an almost untapped area, and therefore, the technology can revolutionize how energy is harvested from the movements and vibrations of everyday objects.
Various geometries of maglev systems can be employed to enable efficient energy generation. For instance, single-coil, bistable, and multi-coil arrangements have been adopted to discover the best strategy for converting energy from magnetic levitation.
They can produce electricity by exploiting the oscillations of the magnetic fields produced by moving levitating magnets. Applying magnetic levitation in generating energy is a step towards developing environmentally friendly localized energy for power distribution or small appliances.
The global impact of this levitating energy technology
If OpenStar Technologies’ levitating reactor works, it will be the harbinger of a new age in energy production. Nuclear fusion in the future offers a nearly limitless, emissions-free energy source once scaled and commercialized as an energy source superior to fossil fuels or nuclear fission.
Moreover, applying the magnetic levitation technique for power generation means that power can be generated from numerous local sources instead of large power stations. This would deconcentrate power generation, increase the power supply’s security, and reduce the impact of power generation on the natural environment.
In addition, superconductors and magnetic levitation could change many fields: transport (maglev trains), electronics, and medicine. Down the line, as technology advances and costs are reduced, incorporating levitation into energy systems might be a more efficient way of providing for the increasing energy demand worldwide.
A levitating generator that uses plasma, a fourth state of matter and high energy source, is the next step toward a world of green energy. In addition to efficiently generating energy through nuclear fusion and magnetic levitation, this technology can address many of the global environmental problems today.
With more development and investment in technology, the levitating generator could become one of the prominent solutions that will make the world switch to green energy. The future of energy is floating just above our heads.
