A Renewable, Efficient and Sustainable Future by James Watt (1736-1819)

A quote to ponder found in the January 23, 1891 edition of "The Electrical Engineer" (p. 84). There was a James Watt anniversary being celebrated and they noted that Watt played futurist some time earlier with the following paragraph.

"Later on he prophesied that 'the time might come when tidal-power, river-power, waterfall-power, wind-power, and even the power of the sun's rays, would be utilized, and mechanical contrivances of all kinds -- railways, ships, machinery -- would be driven by electrical energy stored by contrivances already invented but yet far from perfect.

After comparing the amount of energy got out of man as compared with the steam engine, and showing how economical nature was in the production of energy, as illustrated in the electric fish, fire-flies, and glow-worms, he remarked that it was not too much to hope that we might find how nature produced these effects on a small scale, and then we might be able to imitate them on a large scale, and with an economy to which we would be driven when obliged to stop our present rate of extravagant expenditure.'"

Biomimicry, "Limits to Growth", renewable energy, etc.. all back in what was the early 1800s if not the late 1700s. No specific date for the quoted text provided.

Watt's wikipedia entry is available for those wanting to know more about this fellow.

A Renewable, Efficient and Sustainable Future by James Watt (1736-1819)

A quote to ponder found in the January 23, 1891 edition of "The Electrical Engineer" (p. 84). There was a James Watt anniversary being celebrated and they noted that Watt played futurist some time earlier with the following paragraph.

"Later on he prophesied that 'the time might come when tidal-power, river-power, waterfall-power, wind-power, and even the power of the sun's rays, would be utilized, and mechanical contrivances of all kinds -- railways, ships, machinery -- would be driven by electrical energy stored by contrivances already invented but yet far from perfect.

After comparing the amount of energy got out of man as compared with the steam engine, and showing how economical nature was in the production of energy, as illustrated in the electric fish, fire-flies, and glow-worms, he remarked that it was not too much to hope that we might find how nature produced these effects on a small scale, and then we might be able to imitate them on a large scale, and with an economy to which we would be driven when obliged to stop our present rate of extravagant expenditure.'"

Biomimicry, "Limits to Growth", renewable energy, etc.. all back in what was the early 1800s if not the late 1700s. No specific date for the quoted text provided.

Watt's wikipedia entry is available for those wanting to know more about this fellow.

Scotland Was First!

The first use of of a wind-electric system was in Scotland in the 1880s. I'd previously thought that the first wind-electric was built in Cleveland but Professor James Blyth beat electrical industrialist Charles Brush by a few months and at a far more modest cost. A nice item from The Minnesota Engineer on the state of the art in for wind-electrics in 1896 can be found here.

Scotland Was First!

The first use of of a wind-electric system was in Scotland in the 1880s. I'd previously thought that the first wind-electric was built in Cleveland but Professor James Blyth beat electrical industrialist Charles Brush by a few months and at a far more modest cost. A nice item from The Minnesota Engineer on the state of the art in for wind-electrics in 1896 can be found here.