Introduction

In the mid-1970s we established a challenging and restrictive definition for "clean energy systems." These would be systems, it was postulated, which draw on natural supply, which do not leave residue, which are inexpensive and which are universally applicable. It was considered that the list of requisite conditions was necessary in order to face the challenge of restoring a balance between human beings and Nature.

More than a decade later, working or theoretical models have in fact emerged and they seem to meet such criteria and some of these are presented in this book, often for the first time ever to the general public.

The mere existence of these technological opportunities presents a promising prospect that the current world-wide environmental and economic crisis might be turned around within a reasonable timeframe. When these technologies were the subject of the 1988 Third international New energy technology symposium/exhibition held in Hull, Quebec, conferees adopted a hopeful statement of Conclusions and Recommendations which read:

The prospect for new clean energy sources is extremely promising and what is now needed is open-minded assessment by the scientific and industrial communities and a willingness to fund practical R & D and applications based on the evidence presented at this Symposium.

We note that simultaneously with the Third International New energy technology Symposium/exhibition, the World Conference on the Changing Atmosphere was being held in Toronto, organized by Environment Canada, with support from the United Nations Committee on the Greenhouse Effect, chaired by Dr. Kenneth Hare, who is chairman of Canada's Climate Program Planning Board.

The Toronto Conference addressed the profoundly dangerous problems of the deterioration of the Earth's environment as the "Greenhouse Effect" becomes recognized as a reality.

We note that the Toronto World Conference on the Changing Atmosphere recommended the abolition of the use of fossil fuels (the burning of which, by releasing carbon dioxide, increases the "Greenhouse Effect", raising atmospheric temperatures and contributing to droughts and possible large-scale disaster).

The assembly at the Third international New energy technology Symposium/exhibition declares that, "we believe that revolutionary technologies which permit a gradual transition from current polluting energy sources can be developed in time, based on what was presented and demonstrated at our conference.

Specifically the Canadian Planetary Association for Clean Energy and the UK Advanced Energy Research Institute recommend the international promotion and funding of the crucial developments of the following Symposium highlights:

1) Revolutionary solar cell technology, based on inexpensive plastic film (by Dr. Alvin Marks, inventor of Polaroid film), could bring solar cell prices down to 5% of the current level, making them commercially feasible and widely available at last; - the UK development of accurate, flexible mirrors for solar ray concentration - and the Marks Charged Aerosol Device inexpensively retrofitted to industrial smokestacks and chimneys to clean up emissions which contribute to "Acid Rain";

2) UK breakthroughs in low-cost new methods for manufacturing high-output, efficient thermocouples to turn waste heat from utility and industrial plants into electricity;

3) The "MigmaCell", which may make feasible small-scale non-radioactive fusion, now 4/5 complete (by Dr. Bogdan Maglich of Princeton);

4) Recent developments in new energies from magnetic fields, the vacuum of space-time, and the emerging ether physics (focused by Dr. Harold Aspden, former head of IBM European patenting);

5) Demonstrated new uses of energy for novel modes of propulsion using internal inertial thrust with potential for land, sea, air, space utilization;

6) The potential for transmitting electricity to any part of the earth without wires, with negligible losses and capital costs (with construction of a pilot plant underway).

We therefore recommend the development of these new energy technologies as viable, potential solutions to the environmental crisis spotlighted by the World Conference on the Changing Atmosphere, suggesting urgent funding by private industry and by national and international organizations.

We also recommend the funding of the study of the impact of the potential new energy solutions on the economy of our world for the future. We believe that the outlines are now visible of the shape of a future with low-cost, clean, abundant energy and recommend that all appropriate governmental and private organizations hasten to the task of developing and implementing such systems, lest we further increase the damage already done.

In fact these and other technologies and their related issues as discussed in this book provide enough plausible information upon which an assessment might be forecasted of what a "clean energy" future might portend.

Reduced energy costs and accrued world-wide availability of the new, clean energy technology should instill healthy effects in sustainable global economic development and in peace and security matters.

Annually, the world economy could save about US $ 400 billion (1988 dollars) in decreased capital costs, increased revenues, accelerated debt reductions because of greater efficiencies in energy production, transmission and distribution. Further savings could also be found in the use of better motors, in lesser dependency on such secondary products as tires, in sales of lands and properties set aside commercial energy generation, transmission and distribution. These particular economic advantages might not be recurring.

To better understand the implication of large-scale implementation of clean energy systems, the case of the United States commercial electrical energy consumption could be used as an example. In 1987, US electricity consumption was 28 quadrillion BTUs ("quads"), but only 8 quads were sold to consumers -- the remainder, 20 quads, or almost 30% of the entire US primary energy consumption, was used to generate, transmit and distribute the electricity. In fact North American power companies lose between 2.5 to 3.5 more energy than they deliver. These companies also face the overwhelming prospect of having to overhaul about half of their aging generating and transmission facilities during the 1990s and not being able to find the necessary capital. So it is in gaps such as these that clean energy systems can make major and visible inroads.

Other areas of progress might involve sensible improvements in transportation and industrial consumption.

Savings from the implementation of new, clean energy systems could not only offset the tremendous costs of world-wide environmental clean-up (estimated to cost from $ 50 billion to $ 150 billion annually till the year 2000) but also improve the socio-economic welfare and physical well-being of individuals and nations. Some of the most remarkable improvements are forecastable in the energy-poor Third World countries. This kind of improvement could be beneficial in easing numerable peace and security tensions, which are often the motive for much military arms spending - one of the greater economic burdens in many nations.

There are a number of still little understood spin-offs possible from clean technology. For example the MigmaCell's technological principles could become the basis for the de-activation of toxic nuclear wastes and by-products, probably at minute costs. Tesla technology might be used for the deliberate and remotely-controlled zonal repair of the ozone layer.

The technology related to the structuring of water might introduce the universal availability of clean water as well as very advanced artificial intelligence units.

Indeed, the new, clean energy technology may be a very wise choice as well as inexpensive and highly competitive compared to the currently applied and researched technologies.

A. Michrowski