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Part 1

Everyday there are headlines about climate change, global warming, starvation, population explosion, conflicts over resources and the list goes on. It is possible that the wheel can be re-invented and solve many of these problems. It is commonly stated that the idea of re-inventing the wheel is a fool’s errand, however it may not be a fool’s errand to look to the past and actually reinvent the wheel. Maybe more properly the term to use may be to re-purpose the use of a wheel. The ancient Samarians 2000 years ago used the wheel in a manner that we should carefully look at as a partial solution to many of today’s problems. They used water wheels to power their saws to cut blocks of stone into thin slabs to cover their temples. However, they used a very novel approach to obtain enough power to cut stone. What they understood was that when water contacts the paddles of a water wheel, the energy of the stream is not “used up” no matter how many wheels are in the stream and that each wheel has the same power. The “ancients” used “gangs” of wheels that were placed side to side and end to end. They used a common axle for wheels that were side by side and a rope pulley to connect the ones that were end to end. Although they knew that this system worked it is almost certain that they did not understand that it is gravity that makes streams flow and gravity is a constant force that never stops. The gravity driven energy of all rivers and streams is endless, totally “green” and absolutely free. Unlike wind power or solar power it is always there and will be so until the Earth ceases to exist.

For purposes of this paper the author will use the term water wheel as a way of visualizing the concept of re-inventing the wheel. The image that most people have of a water wheel is a single round wheel with a series of paddles that is in a single fixed location. The larger vision of how to re-invent the wheel is to do as the ancient Samarians did, but on an epic scale. Imagine placing “water wheels” in the entire length of the Mississippi River and using the entire width and depth and literally covering the entire river. Although this is not possible because of ship or barge traffic, at least a major portion of the river could be used. Concrete channels as wide as the wheels could be installed along the edges of a river with mile long segments and dozens of wheels per segment. A movable gate could be installed on the front of each segment to protect the wheels and to allow for the gate to be extended into the flow of the river to divert more or less water into the channel. A key figure is that the flow rate of the Mississippi River where it meets the Gulf of Mexico is 650,000 cubic feet per second. This translates to over 46,000,000 pounds per second of flowing water. No matter how many water wheels are placed in the river each one is receiving the exact amount of energy as the one that is next to it, or the ones that are downstream. The larger picture is that there are 38 large rivers in the USA with a total of over 30,000 miles of flowing water. These 38 rivers have a combined flow rate of 2,450,000 cubic feet of water per second. The key is to focus on high volume/slow flow generating systems. This power source would produce a massive amount of clean, low cost, and totally green electricity and with no “fuel” costs or with problems from mining, drilling or storage or disposal waste products. With water driven electricity costs becoming a small fraction of present costs, the savings could be used to solve many of mankind’s problems.

The vision is that the “water wheels” could be a single wheel running in a trickle of water in a person’s back yard powering a single LED bulb to gigantic “wheels” in endless lines on every river and stream. The wheels could be infinitely scalable and take on many forms from the traditional style from 200 years ago to unusual devices that are currently operating in many locations across our country and around the world. A man in Canada has a device he calls a water rotor. A water rotor lays on the bottom of a stream and generates power with a stream flow of 2 or 3 miles per hour. A large device that looks like an airplane propeller has been put in place and generating electricity in the East River near New York City. Other functioning “water wheels” are based on the Archimedes screw and simply funnel water down a trough or an enclosed pipe. Another device is simply a cone shaped device with external fins and a “generator” inside. Regardless of the form of all of these devices, and others the author is not aware of, they have two common attributes. One, they are scalable so they can be of any size that fits into any river or stream. And second, they can be built and installed one at a time allowing for a minimal investment to get started. A typical power plant costs several billion dollars to build, and it may take 2 to 4 years to generate its first watt of power. Additionally, all of the devices this author has seen are very slow turning and would be constantly water cooled. Well designed and robustly built “wheels”, should last for many years, and operate with minimum maintenance. Since the technology is rather primitive even the least developed countries could build and implement these systems. Individuals, villages, cities, or any other group could build and install these systems starting with one unit and building on it.

The longer-term vision is to use waterpower to replace all existing fossil fuel systems including fuel for vehicles. The goal would be to grow huge systems that are connected to the existing power grid and use all of the “off peak” demand and eventually the excess generating capacity (of which there would be a huge amount) to generate hydrogen. The hydrogen could be piped through the existing natural gas pipelines to distant and existing power plants to replace fossil fuels and distributed to “gas stations” for use in all vehicles. With the combustion of hydrogen only producing oxygen and water our planet could begin to “heal” after centuries of fossil fuel damage.

With a huge amount of energy/electricity available at a fraction of today’s costs we could begin to use this “bounty” to meet the needs of a growing world population. One problem that will become a crisis is the need for food. A solution would be to follow the lead of several individuals that live in St. Petersburg, FL. They are using insulated shipping containers as gardens. In these gardens they use computer controls to provide the exact amount of water, nutrients, light and temperature to maximize growth. They use a footprint of 8 ft. by 40 ft. and use 1/6th of the energy as compared to the energy needed for a normal “open” acre. They have a shorter growing period and use no pesticides or herbicides on the crops. They also have almost no shipping costs as the products are grown near where they are consumed. If the climate experts are even partially accurate then in some areas of the world the growing season will be shorter, the rains could be too heavy, or too light or damaging storms or winds could affect production and the temperatures could become too hot or too cold. In densely populated urban locations “farms’ could become vertical with the use of devices like shipping containers. A single footprint of 8 ft. x 40 ft. could become a stack of ten or more units. A single acre site could become the equivalent of a multi acre open field with none of the hazards and a higher quality product. Abundant and very low-cost energy would make this “urban farming feasible. The final “water” solutions are based on using what is currently available. The first readily available resource is the large number of mid-level dams scattered across our country. The Army Corp of Engineers and the Department of Energy both report that there enough of these dams of suitable height and design that by simply installing an “off the shelf’ generator they could provide 8% of the U.S. energy needs. Other currently available water sources are the existing high-level dams. The water that is currently flowing out of these dams is not “wastewater”, but simply wasted energy. People stand in awe at the massive water flow coming out of these dams. The “wasted energy” has become a tourist attraction. What seems to be lost in this situation is that the energy from this flowing water is essentially the same as was used a few seconds before in running the generators. Reusing this energy that was previously called wastewater could easily multiply the total energy generated by high level dams many times. The same concept could also be used on the mid-level dams and easily increase their output from 8% to at least double that. The multiplier would depend on the way the water was moved from the dam and the ingenuity of the engineers involved. A dam with a very long spillway could use old-style water wheels for the entire length of the spillway. Dams without flow pipes where the water sprays out in huge volumes could simply continue the out-flow pipes and use internal turbines. The details in how to design systems that capture the wasted energy of mid-level dams and high-level dams should be left to the engineers that put us on the moon, landed on Mars and explored the deepest parts of our oceans. Another related resource is that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission reported that there 85,000 dams in our country and 55,000 that are suitable for generating electricity. It is not currently known how much energy these 55,000 dams could generate.

The last untapped resource is the energy in the “white water” rivers and streams around the world and the “white water” outflow from all existing dams. The perfect example is in Africa on the Zambezi River in the Batoka Gorge below Victoria Falls. There are 17 miles of some of the most intense rapids in the world. There are currently discussions about building a hydroelectric dam in the area and the involved parties are trying to raise about four billion dollars to build this dam. As with all major dams the negative social and environmental impacts are significant and permanent. The energy of this river as well as all other “white water” streams can be utilized without destroying the waterway and the surrounding environment. The solution is to use the entire length of the stream and do something that has never been done before. Essentially place water wheels on devices that resemble a construction crane and mount the device on a base that is on the shore. The arm of the device could raise or lower the water wheel as needed to maintain optimum power. It would also allow for raising the wheel to swing it ashore for maintenance, and at the same time allow for the continuing use of the river for the significant income generated from the kayakers from around the world. Essentially, daytime use for kayakers and tourists and evenings and nights for power generation. This concept could also be tied into a solar system with waterpower at night and solar during the day. This mixed use would go hand in hand with a large solar system. The environmental impact would be at or near zero. By placing dozens, or possibly hundreds of these devices along a stream, it would allow for a very flexible power grid that could be used as needed. There is no doubt that these devices placed in the Batoka George would generate more power than a single dam.

Who has the answers depends on what the question is. The problem seems to be who is asking the question. One person says all we must do is dig more coal and drill more oil wells. Another person says everything will be all right, just wait and see. Another says all we must do is build electric cars, another says solar power is the answer or maybe wind. The problem is that the question is much more complicated. Digging and drilling is a guarantee of worldwide destruction. Wind is great when the wind blows. Solar is great when the sun shines. Electric cars are nice, but the power must come from somewhere. Waiting for a miracle to provide power to the growing world population is just wishful thinking. The actual solution must be simple enough that the poorest country in the world can benefit and end their struggle to survive. The power system must be low cost, totally reliable, scalable, easy to maintain and can be installed in small segments. A significant element must be that one country, one individual or a few multinational corporations do not control the entire world energy systems. And finally, it must be something that can be done quickly and done in thousands of locations at the same time. Some people would say that such a system is not possible, but they are not correct. The system does exist, and it has been used for more than 2000 years. The answer is waterpower. Mother Earth has given us an ultimatum to stop killing her now. The “best and brightest” scientists have spoken very loudly, and we are on a countdown to disaster. Recent projections on where we will be by 2050 are frightening. Scenarios include increasing hurricanes, floods, droughts, and air so polluted a mask may be required to breath. In this view nations will start wars to provide their citizens with the basic needs just to survive. The most viable solution will be to use the power of the Earth to generate the power to support the growing populations. The power of the Earth is simply gravity, and the rivers and streams will flow as long as there is gravity. The final question is, does anyone have the specific details on a system that meets all the necessary criteria. The answer is, yes, many people and organizations have all of the answers.

ENERGY-FREE – GREEN and 24/7 part 2 – QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

The fate of Mother Earth is literally in the hands of mankind. The big question is what we do about climate change. Whether we believe that climate change is just a natural earth cycle or whether we believe that “we” have caused it makes no difference. The big questions are, (1) whether we have gone beyond the “tipping point” (2) is there anything “we” can do to fix the problem and (3) who may have the answers. The question on the “tipping point” is literally a moot issue. Whether we have passed an unknown “magic date” makes no difference. The only issue is where we are today and having debates about it only causes more stress and confusion. The “what” can we do” question” is more of a question about what we cannot not continue doing. We absolutely cannot continue polluting the air, the water, and the land. The date of 2050 seems to be a focus of what Mother Earth will look like if we do nothing or too little to fix the problem we have created. By 2050 Mother Earth will be home to 3 billion extra people with much of that increase coming from the countries that have the least resources to handle the growth. The people who are today’s most disadvantaged will be the ones who suffer the most.

The social, political, and economic pressures will be immense and the fight for resources will almost certainly be a recipe for conflict. The wealth and economic and political power of the worldwide fossil fuel industries will greatly influence if “we” save Mother Earth from a disaster. By 2050 projections are for more and stronger hurricanes and droughts, more wildfires, crop failures, air and water pollution, coastal flooding and in general a major decline in the quality of life. There are recent news articles about the need to upgrade the hurricane scale from Cat 5 to Cat 6 and the tornado scale from EF 5 to EF 6. Only a major shift in what “we” do to provide clean, green, and affordable energy to the entire world will save Mother Earth from the problem “we” created. The recent United Nations Climate Conference (COP28) outlined the scope of our failure and what we have “not done” so far. The final question about who may have the answers that can solve, or at least minimize, the climate problem is very long. It includes the following organizations that have been researching the use and viability of hydro power. The studies and research have been done and put “on a shelve” or in a library and never implemented.

122 colleges and universities that offer engineering degrees in Power and Energy
30 colleges that are in the “Green Power Partnership.”
The Federal Energy Resource Commission (formerly known as the Federal Power Commission est in 1920)
The United States Department of Energy
The United States US Army Corps of Engineers (since 1920)
The United States Federal Laboratories (all 17 locations)
Numerous private individuals and corporations

FYI - First documented use of water power was in Samaria - 2000 years ago. The first use of waterpower to generate electricity in America was in 1880. All but two states have hydroelectric systems ranging from micro systems to the massive Niagara Falls system.

The problem we have is not what we should do, or a matter of how it can be done, but the difficulty is in making the decision to replace fossil fuels with water power or some other clean, green and viable system. Many people would say that our future is in nuclear power plants. The problem with nuclear is that it takes many years to build one at a cost of many billions of dollars and we still do not have a reasonable system of disposing of nuclear waste. There are also risks to operating a nuclear power plant. Chernobyl in Russia was the result of a bad design and lack of training. The Zion nuclear plant was accidentally shut down and had to be closed. The Three Mile Island nuclear plant was shut down due to a malfunction and an operator error. The Fukushima nuclear facility in Japan was destroyed in an earthquake followed by a tsunami. The Crystal River nuclear facility had to be closed because of a failed attempt to repair the containment building. The total of nuclear power plant accidents in the United States is 56. In addition to human errors, nuclear facilities are almost certainly on a target list for the enemies of the United States. A successful attack would be a major disaster and endanger or kill a huge number of people and turn the surrounding area into a wasteland. Planning the future of our country, and the rest of the world around fossil fuels should not even be considered. Other people believe that our “salvation” from fossil fuels lies with nuclear fission. Our current level of understanding of nuclear fission is literally not sufficient to place our future in the hope that one day fission will be a viable option. We have over 2000 years of experience with waterpower. The current objections to waterpower are that dams can break and cause major problems, that dams are expensive to build, cause damage to fish and other wildlife and cause sediment build up downstream. If dams are really a problem, then we should not build any more. There are currently 91,757 dams in the United States and with our current level of engineering most of those dams can be used to generate electricity. There are also 3.5 million miles of rivers and streams that can be used to produce power. In addition, there are over 2.6 million miles of pipelines in our country that could be used to transport hydrogen if we chose to generate hydrogen at the power sources. The technology to use all these dams and rivers and streams to generate power already exists and has stood the test of time. The technology to connect all of these power sources to the existing power grid is also well tested and has also withstood the test of time. The existing solar power systems that tie directly into the existing power grid can be the template to tie into the waterpower grid. The rooftop solar power systems are currently in use in over 3 million homes with the vast majority tied into the power grid. Currently power turbines (generators) suitable for any size system are available on-line from Amazon, Walmart and many other sources. There is actually a “turbine” that can be installed in a household water line that produces power anytime a commode flushes, a shower is taken, or any other time water is used. This device can keep a battery charged as part of a backup power system.

ENERGY- FREE – GREEN and 24/7 Part 3 – The Problem

There is not much doubt that waterpower can replace most, if not all, fossil fuel systems. The impediment is how to break away from hundreds of years of dependence on fossil fuels. The entire world has been “comfortable” with the fuels they know and understand. Essentially the economies of the entire world have been tied to fossil fuels and the thought of making a dramatic change is very unsettling. The economic power of the fossil fuel industry is immense, and the time of adaptation is now. All other adaptations that have occurred over the centuries whether it was from stone tools to bronze or iron tools, including the adaptation to nuclear power have never been so critical. This adaptation from fossil fuels to something that will guarantee the continuing health of Mother Earth is absolutely necessary. The continued use of fossil fuels until the 2050-time frame probably would not result in the end of mankind. We have about 47 years of oil left, about 50 years of natural gas, and over 200 years of coal. The power of water will be around as long as gravity exists. The problem with these numbers is that people (mankind) are most comfortable with doing things that have always worked and change is often resisted. The idea that “we have always done it that way” is a mental hurdle that must be changed. By the year 2100 with the UN predicting a worldwide population of 11 billion the earth will be at the breaking point on providing resources. Some experts believe that the earth has enough resources to support a maximum population of about 10 billion. There are people alive today who may live until 2100 and they, and certainly their children, will find their lives to be very difficult. The things we do today, or the things we do not do, will have significant benefits or consequences for all future generations.

In the United States there are two groups of people that make the critical decisions about the global warming problem and the use of energy resources. The first group includes all of the fossil fuel companies and their related supporters and the people that financially benefit. The global market of all fossil fuel products is about 6.3 trillion dollars with one estimate of the profits at 4.3 trillion and an estimated 41 million employees. This group has an immense amount of financial and political power. In the United States the individuals that have the power to make decisions about the global warming and climate problem are the 535 individuals that are elected to the US congress. These people are the “top level managers” for the richest and most powerful country in the world. They hold all of the power over energy sources and what can be done with these resources. In 2022 the Supreme Court ruled that Congress and, only Congress, has the authority to set “clean air” standards. The vast majority of Americans believe that climate change is a major problem with one poll showing 37% showing it as a top priority. If polls were the same as election results most of the 535 members of congress would be out of a job. A close look at these 535 members of congress shows that they may be unduly influenced by representatives of the fossil fuel businesses. They have approved over 20.5 billion dollars in subsidies to fossil fuel companies. Renewable energy sources only receive a fraction of that amount. In 2022 the 535 received over 133 million dollars in campaign contributions from the fossil fuel sector. Other factors that may influence the 535 include the fact that there are over 12,000 lobbyists in Washington with about 460 being former members of Congress. Other sources of money for the “535” club members are from PACs that are allowed to spend unlimited amounts of money for members of the “535 club”. Other sources are speaking engagements, book deals or “no show” employment for members friends or family. Recently one member of the “535 club” was indicted because of the questionable possession of a large amount of cash and gold bars. Another was recently “removed from the'”535 club” for long list of illegal and unethical practices. Other sources are funds from IRS 501c organizations {not for profit corporations} that do not have to disclose a lot of details about where the money comes from. For example, the American Petroleum Institute is a 501{c}6 organization that is classified as nonprofit and contributions are not tax deductible. In 2021 the API reported over $229 million in revenue with $227 million in expenses. A stated goal of the API is to advocate for safety and for the industry. Regardless of the sources of income for the support of the worldwide fossil fuel businesses, it is a staggering amount of money. Whether it is good money, bad money, soft money, or hard money, it is a large amount, and a significant amount is used to influence worldwide leaders, including the members of the “535 club”. The API focus seems to be more focused on profits and the long-term survival of the fossil fuel businesses than their stated goal of safety. It is interesting to note that in 2019 when the Democrat party was in the majority, Congress created the House Select Committee On The Climate Crisis. In January of 2023 the Republican controlled House disbanded it.

ENERGY- FREE – GREEN and 24/7 Part 4 The solution

With the fossil fuel businesses having such economic and political support it seems like it would be literally impossible to fight them by “playing their game” of hiring lobbyists, donating to their political campaigns, and otherwise supporting the “535 club” members. All the fossil fuel support for politicians is for one purpose and that is to support political campaigns and convince the voters to vote for them and keep them in office. Any effort to convince voters to replace the “fossil fuel” politicians would have to be very powerful and would have to focus on politicians that finally acknowledge that “Mother Earth” is in trouble and there must be a massive and rapid shift to clean and green energy sources. The “Achilles Heel” of the fossil fuel businesses in America, and possibly the entire world, is to convince the members of the “535 club” that if they want to stay in office, they must dramatically change their political affiliation and focus, and do what is needed, and now. There are more than 15,000 registered “environmental” organizations in America with millions of members and supporters. The largest twelve environmental organizations have over six million members. Polls also show that 41% of all Americans say they are “environmentalists”. What these numbers indicate is that if properly motivated and encouraged many millions could have their voice be louder than the fossil fuel lobbyists and advocates. The members of the “535 club” would have to listen and act on a major change to protect “Mother Earth” from what appears to be a looming disaster. With politicians being so focused on votes for their survival, an organized effort by six million environmentalists may just change the balance of power from the fossil fuel supporters to the environmentalists. The author proposes that all the environmental organizations ask all of their members and even nonmembers to send a letter to their respective federal elected officials asking for action on protecting the earth. What does not appear to be effective are phone calls or emails to elected officials. The author has firsthand experience that emails, and phone calls are too easily ignored or deleted. However, a “snail mail letter” is a physical object and is much more difficult to ignore, especially if they get millions of letters on a single day. For the cost of a single stamp the organized environmentalists can overwhelm the Washington lobbyists and their supporters.

The environmental organizations that are in the IRS 501c3 category have restrictions on their ability to directly influence any single piece of legislation or to campaign for or against any specific candidate. However, these organizations can legally urge their members, followers, or other “environmentalists” to send a handwritten letter (more personal than typed) to their local member of the US congress. This author proposes that the twelve largest environmental groups that this letter is being sent to reach out to all their members and followers, associates and as many of the 15,000 other registered “environmental” groups as is possible. The message does not need to be very long or very specific. This campaign could be called “FOR THE COST OF A STAMP”. In the past “environmentalists” cleaned up beaches and parks occasionally contacted a member of the “535 club” or marched in a “protest parade”. These efforts do not have a long-lasting impact and politicians can easily ignore them. A well-organized campaign by your organization and others that you may be willing to contact could possibly result in many millions of letters arriving at the mail room of the US congress essentially in one day. The implied message for all of congress would be heard and may even overwhelm the “fossil fuel” voices. The message would be, “we are environmentalists, and we are voters”. If you choose to become involved in this campaign, there is no doubt that the “word” would soon become known to all of the media. The media coverage would alert most Americans to the existence of an effort to convince Congress to “go green”. Every American could participate in this crusade for the price of a stamp. The author knows that the top twelve environmental groups send emails and newsletters to their members on a regular basis. If all of you sent out a request for all members to send a “letter” on May 1st (MAY DAY) or on any day of your choose there would be plenty of time to get ready. President Biden has said that the climate crisis is the “ultimate threat to humanity “and that it is more “scary” than a nuclear war. In spite of what he has said, he did not attend COP28, he recently made a positive sounding statement about the United States record setting oil production and he supported and approved the Willow Project on the North Slope in Alaska that may produce more than 600,000,000 barrels of oil.

The White House and Congress received more than four million letters in protest of The Willow Project over the course of many weeks. In spite of the number of letters the project was approved. Maybe 4,000,000 voters over the course of many weeks were not enough to influence them. Possibly if they got 4,000,000 letters, or many more, in a single day they might pay attention. What part of “scarier than a nuclear war or the ultimate threat to humanity” do they not understand. It is the authors opinion that your organization and the other 15,000 registered environmental organizations are the final line of defense in protecting our country (and maybe the world) from what President Biden described as the “ultimate threat to humanity’. One very smart man (Albert Einstein) once said,” insanity is doing the same thing over and again and is expecting different results “. Another wise man once said,” that we have embarked on a fool’s errand means that we must uphold the honor of fools and complete the errand “. The question is, are we insane or just a bunch of fools? BE BRAVE – MOTHER EARTH IS IN BIG TROUBLE AND NO ONE IN CONGRESS SEEMS TO HAVE

THE COURAGE TO DO THE RIGHT THING.

FINAL THOUGHT Throughout our lives we often have concerns and fears about what may happen to us. The common ones are the most personal are about finding love, making a living, having friends or are we going to be killed or injured in an accident. On a more global scale we have thoughts about the possibility of a nuclear war being started by accident or because one of the nuclear powers wakes up one day and decides to start it. Also, we sometimes are reminded that an asteroid could strike the earth or that a super volcano could erupt and wipe out a large segment of the world. All of these concerns we may have are possible, but are very low on the scale of what might actually happen. Global warming and its immense problems WILL HAPPEN.

The following illustrations are only for visualizing a concept and are not meant to be a final design. Engineers of the type that put man on the moon and a “rover” on Mars would have no problem turning the concept into reality.

“About 500,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). Each spillway can discharge 200,000 cfs. If the spillways were operated at full capacity, the energy of the falling water would be about 25,000,000 horsepower.”

How much electricity would this generate?

This sketch is used to visualize how the waste water from a dam could be used multiple times to generate power. Water wheels could be installed along the entire length of the river.

This sketch is used to visualize the concept of how a “white water” river or stream could be used to generate electricity and be used for boating.

This sketch is used to visualize the concept of how “white water” river or stream could be used to generate electricity and be used for boating.

Hydrokinetic systems like this one can be built in any size and can be driven by open river flow or tides.

Boat Mills were used throughout Asia, Middle East, and Europe for 2000 years to grind grain into flour.

A siphon system would not require any modifications of the existing dam or spillway. Turbines could be installed a few feet apart for the entire length of the water line.

How much electricity could this waste water generate?

Glenn Canyon- Just Wasted Energy

Archimedes Screw “Water Wheel”

Jim Byers

jim@nomorefossils.com