Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

An Open Letter to Sir Richard Branson from Robert J. Rohatensky

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Dear Sir Richard Branson,

Upon reading the information on the recently announced Virgin Earth Challenge I feel that although I admire the noble effort, I have difficulty with the terms and conditions of the challenge. I believe that if you and the Virgin group of companies were serious regarding improving our planet that you have the resources to make an immediate change in the world energy situation and to lower the risk of climate change.

I believe that we have an initial design for an implementable system that uses indirect solar collection to generate electricity and store thermal energy in an economical, environmentally friendly, scalable, reliable, efficient and location independent manner using common construction materials. This system design is not under limited Intellectual Property protection and a pilot project and further commercial ventures may be initiated under the Virgin brand.

I am challenging you to invest some resources, form an engineering team and take the energytower.org idea and to build some massive bright red convection tower renewable energy systems with the Virgin logo painted on the side.

Sincerely,
Robert J. Rohatensky
Regina, SK Canada
www.energytower.org

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. SJT says

    Jen

    I suspect that this is just a very ambitious variation on a perpetual motion machine.

  2. Robert Rohatensky says

    No, it’s basically an enhancement to concentrated solar plants (CSP/SEGS):
    http://www.energytower.org/background.html#solarsteam
    http://www.powerfromthesun.net/chapter1/Chapter1.htm
    http://www.fplenergy.com/portfolio/solar/index.shtml

    The Kramer Junction CSP plant is the largest solar power station in the world, utilizing natural gas as supplemental heat for night and cloudy operation.

    The energytower.org design basically is a performance enhancement to allow CSP plants to be feasible in moderate climates without supplemental Natural Gas.

  3. Mark says

    “I suspect that this is just a very ambitious variation on a perpetual motion machine.”

    You’re an idiot.

  4. SJT says

    Thanks for that comment. I meant in the sense that it may be thermodynamically unfeasible. The site claims to have the calculations done that prove it is, but they are beyond my technical ability to understand.

  6. Julian says

    Virgin – Bah!

    Alternative fuels one minute, while he ‘launches’ Virgin Galactic the next… you’ll excuse me if i dont get excited by mr bransons form of dealing with climate change.

    obscure question though: if they can make electric cars (which could be powered on emission free sources), why not electric prop jets? ok, they wouldnt be as fast or perhaps have the range of a standard jet, but surely they would be better than the old 6-week boat trip to ol blighty?

  7. Robert Rohatensky says

    Battery weight would be the issue in electric planes. Cryogenic liquid methane or hydrogen as in rocket propulsion could be manufactured from renewable sources.

    I think Willie Nelson is working on a bio-diesel airplane. 🙂
    http://biowillie.com/

    Air Willie probably would have more interesting in-flights than Virgin Air. 🙂

  8. Roy Sandiford says

    I am not a scientist, or even highly educated but———-pause for thought. No one thing is going to solve the problem despite Richard Bransons’ millions of dollars. So we ‘the whole world’ have got to consider the basics and try to reverse them, finding the money however much it will cost and I commend the following to yourselves as a plausible solution.

    As I understand it, the world seems to be getting hotter. Wetter in the already wet places like Lancashire in the UK and drier in the already dry places like the Sahara. Sea levels are rising around the globe. SO——————————by building de-salination plants at places where the desert reaches the sea, drawing water from the sea, processing it and simply allowing it to flow freely out onto the desert, the desert over time would revert to permeable soil. The new wet area would enlarge naturally, albeit gradually. Meantime, the sun would cause evaporation over an ever larger area of the world which in turn would cause rain over once totally dry areas. This would cause rivers to form where there previously were none, returning the surplus water to the sea. The whole sequence of events would cause the co2 rising to the atmosphere to rebound so to speak, falling to earth with the rain. The upper atmosphere would then lose its concentration and over many years, I admit, (long after you and I are gone) the problem should be solved.

    In any case, NO PERSON(S) CURRENTLY LIVING, WILL BE AROUND TO CLAIM RICHARD BRANSONS’ DOSH BECAUSE NOBODY WILL BE ALIVE LONG ENOUGH TO PROVE IT SOLVED!!!!! So yer money is safe Richard.

    Cheers,
    Roy Sandiford