ZPEnergy.com - That's a risk worth taking

Magnetic Fields as Energy Technology
A 'dark horse' in the search for carbon-neutral power, some believe it's just a hoax
by Gregory Daigle / OhmyNews - Science & Technology

The recently signed "Next Generation Energy Act of 2007 is a Minnesota state initiative stepping-up the state's commitment to renewables in the form of bioenergy, hydrogen, hybrids, solar energy and other alternative technologies currently under development. One such technology alternative under development is a controversial "dark horse" candidate yet to be verified, but if proven true could open the way to accelerating our state's standing in renewable electrical power production.

You may have heard about "Steorn Ltd.", the small Irish technology management firm behind Orbo, a magnetic "free-energy" technology. Steorn claims that it has the potential to reduce dependence upon fossil fuels by making possible carbon-neutral power generated from the interaction of magnetic fields. If true it could change how we power our mobile electronics, vehicles... even our homes.

Steorn won't be developing products themselves but will be licensing their technology to all interested parties. Generators would be produced by third parties under a modified "general public license". Steorn is also preparing an online instructional Knowledge Base to assist early adopters in understanding their technology.

This is my fourth story on Steorn since last August. Steorn first drew my attention after they placed an ad in The Economist challenging the scientific and engineering communities to join a "jury" to prove their technology false. Steorn has continued to work with their jury and promises a demonstration next month in London.

A demonstration is a necessary-but-not-sufficient step that may generate more questions than answers. Claims of free-energy and "over-unity" motors are quite common on the Internet, though no such technology has ever been independently confirmed.

The blogosphere is replete with discussions about Steorn's claims. Opinions range from it being a hoax or an "alternative reality game", to those who compare it to the "social mechanics and goals of utopias". If the science behind Orbo is verified and its implementation found economically viable for the production of electricity, it could lead to electric vehicles that never need recharging from the existing power grid and homes that generate much of their energy needs.

If Orbo-based generators are successfully put into production how could Minnesota and its communities take advantage of this technology?

State Energy Goals

The Next Generation Energy Act propels Minnesota as one of two top states (with California) in the U.S. leading the way towards reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It includes overhauling the state's Community-Based Energy Development statutes and creating incentives for communities that invest in renewable power. It gives greater weight to local energy cooperatives and will help the state reach its Renewable Energy Objective (REO) goal of providing 25% of all electricity through renewables by 2025. Orbo could play a part in achieving those goals.

Orbo's renewable technology reportedly scales from use in mobile consumer electronics up to generation of power for industrial applications. In its "mid range" of capabilities it has the potential to replace automotive powerplants and provide electrical power generation in the home. Though renewable energy is available for urban residents, home generation would eliminate long distance transmission issues encountered when powering urban homes with rurally produced wind farm energy.

The energy output from Orbo technology is reportedly constant, unlike the intermittent outputs typical of solar or wind generation. This means less need for storing that energy and more opportunity to sell excess power back to existing utilities. Orbo generators could even be employed to create local neighborhood electricity cooperatives. With generators of sufficient capacity local cooperatives could form the basis for "hyperlocal" neighborhood power grids.
...

Read the rest of the article here