Doable Renewables: 16 Alternative Energy Projects for Young Scientists
To the unknown kid who is going to change the world Please let the author know when you have succeeded so that your name can be placed
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS wish to thank my wife Annelle Rigsby for catering to my time and space needs in the writing process Renee Zucker brot my agent has continued to support and believe in me Jerome Pohlen my editor has assisted not only in the writing process but also in moving gadgets around at the Maker Faire At the Maker Faire Marc de Vinck made me feel much more important than I really am My daughter Tia Rigsby volunteered to help with drawings and photography Ember and Forrest Tanksley would have volunteered to help but their wedding got in the way At work Fran Shahbazian and Lil Wagner politely listened to my daily progress reports Rob Phelan when he heard of my hurricane loss loaned me his old college textbooks Eyra Cash another engineer provided technical advice such as You're not going to use math and I'm an engineer and I don't understand
INTRODUCTION ears ago Bishop Milton Wright brought a rubber band powered helicopter to his sons Orville and Wilbur who were then 7 and 11 years old The Wright brothers later claimed that their interest in flight began with this gift Another child age 5 was sick in bed His father brought him a magnetic compass The boy could not get the compass to point in any direction but north There was something behind things something deeply hidden he observed The boy was Albert Ein stein The world can be changed turned upside down by a kid with an idea Perhaps even you This book is full of ideas about renewable energy for you to explore Renewable Energy As the world's population continues to grow an increasing num ber of people will gain access to lighting communication tran sit and computing This increasing demand will strain the Earth's resources We need renewable energy If humans cap tured one week's worth of sunlight striking the Earth the energy needs of the planet for one year could be met Thomas Edison once said T d put my money on the sun and solar energy What a source of power I hope we don't have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that Wind blows your umbrella Sun warms the Earth Lightning strikes The tide comes in These forces all can be channeled into usable power Renewable energy is the silent hand behind these
