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Chapter 17: Did you know . . . ?
Technological advancements usually take off shortly after a
major breakthrough has occurred. Electricity was discovered
circa 1600 AD (or earlier). At that time, electric power
had few other applications than creating sparks and experimenting
with twitching frog legs. Once the relationship with magnetism
was discovered in the mid 1800s, generators were invented that
produced a steady flow of electricity. Motors followed that
enabled mechanical movement and the Edison light bulb was invented
to conquer the dark.
In the early 1900s, the electronic vacuum tube
was invented, which enabled generating and amplifying signals.
Soon thereafter broadcasting through the air by radio waves
became possible. The discovery of the transistor in 1947 led
to the development of the integrated circuit ten years later.
Finally, the microprocessor ushered in the Information Age
and revolutionized the way we live.
How much has the battery improved during the
last 150 years when compared to other advancements? The
progress has been moderate. A battery holds relatively little
power, is bulky, heavy, and has a short life span. Battery
power is also very expensive.
Yet humanity depends on the battery as a power
source. In the year 2000, the total battery energy consumed
globally by laptops and mobile phones alone is estimated to
be 2,500MW. This equals 25,000 cars powered by a 100kW engine
(134hp) driving at freeway speed.
Many travelers have experienced the exhilaration
of take-off in a jumbo jet. At a full weight of over 396 tons,
the Boeing 747 requires 90MW of energy to get airborne. The
global battery power consumed by mobile phones and laptops
could simultaneously lift off 28 jumbo jets. The energy
consumption while cruising at high altitude is reduced to
about half, or 45MW. The batteries that power our mobile phones
and laptops could keep 56 Boeing 747s in the air.
The mighty Queen Mary, an 81,000 ton cruise
ship measuring over 300 m (1000 ft) in length, was
propelled by four steam turbine engines producing a total
of 160,000hp. The energy consumed globally by mobile phones
and laptops could power 20 Queen Mary ships, with 3000
passengers and crew aboard, traveling at a speed of 28.5 knots
(52 km/hr). The Queen Mary was launched in 1934 and is
now retired in Long Beach, California.
In this concluding chapter, we compare the cost
of battery power against energy created by the combustion
engine and the emerging fuel cell. We also examine the cost
of electricity delivered through the electric utility system.
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