NEW CIVILIZATION FOUNDATION
7.10 ENERGY
7.10.1 One of the most basic attributes of any civilization is its energy usage,
sources, and technologies. The sustainability of any society -- from the
most primitive to the most technologically advanced -- is at its core
heavily dependent upon the long term usage of energy, its ready
availability as a resource, and the technology which transforms one form of
energy into another in order to accomplish useful work.
7.10.2 The NCF, with its
commitment to encourage and support sustainable communities, projects, and
other initiatives recognizes this critical factor in having readily
available energy resources and appropriately utilizing sustainable energy
uses, methods, and technologies.
7.10.3 The New Civilization Foundation is therefore committed to supporting and
encouraging the research, development, and implementation of energy sources
that are sustainable, inexhaustible, ecologically sound and locally
controlled. Such energy sources include solar, wind, tidal, hydro, "free
energy", and other alternative sources of energy. Ample attention will be
given to ephemeralization ("doing more with less"), the "Right Use of
Energy" (conservation, efficiency, and selectivity as to energy usage), and
adherence to comprehensive design in the development of each and every
technology.
7.10.4 Utilizing the criteria and underlying philosophy of the Science &
Technology Strategy as a basis, energy research and development will focus
on energy conservation, and those alternative forms of energy production
and resources which meet the following criteria:
7.10.4.1 Sustainable and/or Renewable
7.10.4.2 Ecologically sound
7.10.4.3 Locally controlled
7.10.4.4 In addition, a fourth criteria will be sought (but not constitute a
disqualifying condition): Inexhaustibility.
7.10.5 Traditionally, the energy technologies which qualified under the above
criteria included: solar, wind, tidal, and hydro.
7.10.5.1 Solar is currently uneconomical and
therefore extremely underutilized. Solar is also location dependent in terms of its
viability. Still, Solar is still a viable
alternative, but constitutes an intermittent diffuse source of energy and
with existing technology requires in many cases a heavy emphasis on large devices for collection,
storage, and delivery. The NCF will support Solar R&D both actively and by making accessible NCF knowledge and communications services available to further Solar and any other truly inexhaustible and enviornmentally near-zero impact source on the immediate technological horizon.
7.10.5.2 Wind has many of the same drawbacks as
solar, but is even more location specific. Being a solar driven effect, it is also inexhaustible and free of negative effects with the possible caveat of EMF health concerns. Research in wind energy generation will be facilitated in the same manner as solar.
7.10.5.3 Tidal and hydro are perhaps
even more location specific. The restrictions on tidal are substantially created by the restriction of development to shorelines, which have environmental impacts, and few, if any, shore lines would be appropriate from either economic or ecological reasons, while hydro has major environmental impacts not acceptable except perhaps in terms of "Low-Head Hydro", which have the benefit of being locally controled. Research on both methods of power generation will have the same priority and be furthered in the same way as solar and wind. The use of tidal energy by floating and/or submerged ocean communities will be considered also.
7.10.5.4 Also, in this
category is the possibility of utilizing "ocean-thermal-gradient" as a
potential energy source, especially by ocean oriented communities.
7.10.6 The NCF recognizes implicitly that the alleged lack of feasibility of many
alternative energy sources has been based on the axiom that such
feasibility is determined strictly by economics. The establishment of a
New Civilization, however, does not require adherence to existing paradigms
or old assumptions. In addition, an advantage of solar and other energy
technologies is that they are oriented toward a simpler and less
technological society -- a preference which is strongly appealing for many
individuals.
7.10.7 NCF is further committed to supporting and encouraging projects which
adhere to the "Right Use of Energy", i.e. energy conservation, energy
efficiency, ephemeralization ("doing more with less" -- a combination of
conservation and efficiency), and selectivity (i.e. the choice and
desirability of the appropriate uses to which different forms of energy are
applied).
7.10.8 The NCF is also dedicated to promoting a comprehensive design
criteria in the various stages of a technology's development (leading to
ephemeralization), and -- where appropriate -- bypassing old axioms such as
economics which might otherwise dictate the late or premature timing of
introducing new energy devices and concepts. On this basis, NCF may move
ahead with new concepts even when "economically restricted", while at the
same time, adhering to the value that, "We will make no energy before its
time."
7.10.9 From a modern, technologically-oriented world viewpoint, new innovative
energy devices offer the best opportunities to effectively provide
sustainable, ecologically sound, and locally controlled sources of energy.
Some of these devices utilize as a fuel a resource which either has
traditionally been considered a waste product or a virtually inexhaustible
source of fuel such as ordinary water. In at least one case, a
water-fueled device is in the late stages of development, and might easily
come under the purview of an NCF's effort to make it available to a large
segment of the population.
7.10.10 Inexhaustible sources of energy comes under the category of so-called "free
energy" or "over-unity energy" devices. These new and extraordinary
devices range from so-called "Cold Fusion" and specific designs such as the
"Patterson Fuel Cell" to what is known as "zero-point energy" and "space
energy" devices. Zero-point and space energy devices also exist and appear
to involve either other dimensions (hyper-dimensions beyond the traditional
four-dimensional space-time reality), or simply the basic inertia of the
universe. Both forms offer energy which is literally inexhaustible.
Modern calculations, for example, have estimated the available zero-point
energy to be ten to the 70th power times the total nuclear energy
availability. These modern innovations have the advantage of being near-term and appear
to have already passed the "proof-of-concept" stage in their development.
7.10.11 Alternative inventions (such as those by Tesla, Schauberger,
et al) may also bear revisiting. NCF expects to be involved with the
research and development of such devices in a material and strongly
interactive way, but simultaneously, maintaining the integrity of the Right
Use of Energy and Ephemeralization.
