Related papers: History of Prime Movers and Future Implications
The dynamic activity of stars such as the Sun influences (exo)planetary space environments through modulation of stellar radiation, plasma wind, particle and magnetic fluxes. Energetic stellar phenomena such as flares and coronal mass…
In contrast to the Earth, where frictional heating is typically negligible, we show that drag mechanisms could act as an important heat source in the strongly-forced atmospheres of some exoplanets, with the potential to alter the…
Electric power is a vital ingredient of modern society. This paper in conjunction with previous papers was written to provide an insight into the physics and engineering that go into electric power systems and their modernization. Topics…
The magnetic field plays a crucial role in heating the solar corona, but the exact energy release mechanism(s) is(are) still unknown. Here, we investigate in detail, the process of magnetic energy release in a situation where two initially…
The origin of the Earth water reserves during the evolution of the planet is one of the big miracles in geophysics. Common explanations are storage of water in the Earth mantle at a time when the crust had not yet formed and depositing of…
Solar energy remained an enigma for nearly a century. For a while astronomers and physicists believed that the source of the Sun's energy was gravitational contraction, but the theory turned out to be untenable. Inspired by the new science…
The magnetic cycle of the Sun, as manifested in the cyclic appearance of sunspots, significantly influences our space environment and space-based technologies by generating what is now termed as space weather. Long-term variation in the…
Human activity has an enormous impact on Earth, changing organisms, environments and landscapes, leading to the decline of original ecosystems and irreversible changes that create new combinations of living beings and materials. As a…
With the use of the appropriate technology, such as photovoltaics and seawater desalination, humans have the ability to sustainably increase their production of food and energy while minimising detrimental impacts on the Earth system.
The urban transition, the increased ratio of urban to rural population globally and within countries, is a hallmark of the 21st century. Our analysis of publicly available data from the World Bank spanning several decades for ~195 countries…
Transportation systems are currently being transformed by advances in information and communication technologies. The development of autonomous transportation holds the promise of providing revolutionary improvements in speed, efficiency,…
The Sun encompasses planet Earth, supplies the heat that warms it, and even shakes it. The United Nation Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assumed that solar influence on our climate is limited to changes in solar irradiance…
Wind and solar electricity generation account for 14% of total electricity generation in the United States and are expected to continue to grow in the next decades. In low carbon systems, generation from renewable energy sources displaces…
The finiteness of fossil fuels implies that future electric power systems may predominantly source energy from fuel-free renewable resources like wind and solar. Evidently, these power systems without fuel will be environmentally benign,…
When stars depart from the main-sequence, various changes occur including the loss of angular momentum owing to changes in the stellar interior and the impact of stellar winds. These processes affect the amount of outer atmospheric heating…
Mobile energy resources (MERs) have received increasing attention due to their effectiveness in boosting the power system resilience in a flexible way. In this paper, a novel mobility model for MERs is proposed, which can support the…
Many mechanisms, functions and structures of life have been unraveled. However, the fundamental driving force that propelled chemical evolution and led to life has remained obscure. The 2nd law of thermodynamics, written as an equation of…
As the powerhouse of our solar system, the Sun's electromagnetic planetary influences appear contradictory. On the one hand, the Sun for aeons emitted radiation which was "just right" for life to evolve in our terrestrial Goldilocks zone,…
The origin of fuel cell technology has a notable connection to the history of spaceflight, having been used in remarkable programs such as Gemini, Apollo and the Space Shuttle. With the constant growth of the electric propulsion technology…
The sunspot number data during the past 400 years indicates that both the profile and the amplitude of the solar cycle have large variations. Some precursors of the solar cycle were identified aiming to predict the solar cycle. The polar…