MadSci Network: Physics |
Predicting the future is dangerous, particularly when it comes to the stock market, but with science, it is slightly less risky. Energy is transported in many forms. Electricity being one, gasoline being another, and coal being carried in railroad cars also qualifies, but the transportation of coal is, for the most part, for the generation of electricity. I would think the answer to your question is probably no, the major form of energy transmission is likely to remain electricity for the foreseeable future. In some of the older science fiction stories, they used "beam power" where electricity or some other mysterious energy form was transmitted much like radio waves, through the atmosphere. There was even some serious talk about putting solar collectors in space and beaming power to earth-side collectors, but unfortunately, strong beams of energy, here, you can think of lightning, will ionize the air it travels through, creating a lot of nasty side effects, and heavy energy loss. What is a possibility is the development of a "room temperature super conductor." Should that happen, infinite amounts of energy can be transmitted through hair thin wires at low voltages. Low voltage means not much insulation, and such electrical transmission systems could be laid in like the fiber optic systems used for data transmission today. Other than that, I see no other viable systems on the horizon.
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